Dance of An Eternal Lotus
by xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx
Summary: During the Chuunin Exams squads from every village come to enter. When Rock Lee, Konoha's Handsome Green Beast, meets a kunoichi who has a quiet love for dancing, what events will ensue? LeeOC. REVIEW.
1. Silver Thistle

**Hey! It's Combat here and coming out with another fanfic. This fanfic was brought on by my friend and I talking about how good a boyfriend Rock Lee would be. I mean seriously! After that the wheels started turning and I started writing. I'm thinking if there would be a better title for this fic but for now, please enjoy the first chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

**Disclaimer: -sighs- So troublesome to do this but, I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. I'm not that awesome to come up with the plot. I just own my OC, got it?**

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_**Chapter 1**_

The afternoon sun shined brightly over the village of Konohagakure. White puffy clouds floated slowly across the sky as a spring breeze passed by. The village streets were filled with civilians going about with their daily lives. In the training fields and remote areas of the village, shinobi trained to succeed their goals. It was just another peaceful day in Konoha.

Blue one inch sandals padded against a people crowded road as a fourteen year old girl weaved down the path. In her arms she carried four bento boxes. Around each box was a neatly tied, colorful ribbon. Letting out a small sigh the teen stopped running. Pivoting on her foot she looked around, a slightly confused look was in her eyes.

"_Konoha is so big,"_ the girl thought as she continued to walk down the street, she bit down softly on her bottom lip. _"I'm surprised these people don't get lost."_ Tilting her head then let out another sigh. Even if she wouldn't visit the leading shinobi village again it made her disgruntled that she couldn't find the location she was supposed to meet her teammates.

Looking around the crowded street the teen pondered, _"maybe I can ask someone,"_ she thought. Seeing an elderly man walk pass her, the girl turned around and tapped him on the shoulder. She balanced the bento boxes in one hand as the man turned around, the teen smiled. "Excuse me sir," the teen spoke, her voice was soft. "Do you know where the training grounds are?"

The elderly man peeked at the girl through small circular glasses. His face wrinkled as he smiled, "if you keep going down this street and take a left you'll find some open fields, those lead to the training grounds," he replied.

Smiling gratefully, the girl bowed her head. Something around her neck shined against the sun's rays. "_Arigato_," she said straightening up, looking at the man again the teen's smile quickly left her lips. He had a hard look in his eyes, almost like he was angry. He saw his eyes travel to her neck and the object around it, clutching the bento boxes to her chest, the girl quickly turned and started to run down the road. _"That was odd,"_ she thought, _"maybe he didn't feel well or something like that."_ Dismissing the thought from her mind, a cheerful smile once again graced the teen's lips as she continued to her destination.

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In the hot rays of the sun, sweat dripped from a slightly shaking body as Rock Lee did push-ups in a tree filled training field. To most genin doing push-ups weren't so hard, but to do them with one finger was beyond crazy. For the green clothed shinobi though, it was just another day of intense training with a cause. Breathing in through his nose, Lee lowered his body till it was inches above the ground. A smooth breath came out of his mouth as he lifted himself up again. The taijutsu user's large eyebrows came together as he squinted his eyes.

"If I can not do one thousand finger pushups, I will do five hundred laps around the village!" Lee announced loudly to himself as he continued with his training. His muscle moved under his green jumpsuit as he did one pushup after another. The teen had a determined look on his face. He counted as he continued to do his push-ups _"Eight hundred and twenty-eight, eight hundred and twenty-nine, eight hundred and thirty-"_

Birds flew through the trees they were so calmly perched on as a short, high pitch scream and the sound of cracking filled the air. Lee jumped to his feet as he looked around, _"what was that?"_ he thought to himself. The genin became still as he saw something move, turning his head slightly he saw what looked like a person; they were on the ground against a tree. Not hesitating Lee ran over to the fallen figure, and stopped right in front of them. The teen crouched down slowly and leaned in, he blinked at what he saw before him.

A young girl, maybe around his age, rubbed her forest green eyes as she placed a hand on one of her legs. Her dark silver, almost black hair was spread out in different places over her shoulders. Her light brown skin had a few cuts and grazes over it. The girl was wearing a simple light blue sundress. Around her neck was a red clothed hitai-ate. A small, almost flat circle and what seemed to be a wide, awkward 'S' was engraved in the metal.

"_A Kumogakure shinobi," _Lee thought before slowly extending his hand. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice was filled with worry.

The girl jumped and scrambled back slightly at the boy's voice, she held a hand to her lips as she stared at Lee. "Y-Yes I'm fine," she said stuttering a bit. The girl quickly tried to get to her feet, but fell just as she put pressure on left leg. Hissing slightly, she massaged her lower leg. Tears threatened to fall from the girl's eyes.

Rock Lee's eyes widened as he jumped up, "you need medical assistance," he said. He curled his hands into fist and held them up slightly. "I'll go get Gai-sensei and we'll-"

"N-No I'm fine really," the kunoichi said sniffling, "I've had worse….really." Slowly the girl tried to get up again. Balancing herself on her right foot, she bent forward and gracefully pushed her body up with her hands. The teen let her left foot touch the ground lightly, "see? I'll be alright," she said smiling softly.

Lee stared at the girl blinking for a moment before giving a wide grin. "Well that is most excellent," he said brightly. The genin held out a bandaged hand giving a thumbs up, "I am Konoha's Handsome Green Beast, Rock Lee!" He opened his hand up and offered it to the kunoichi, "and you are?" he asked.

The girl held a hand to her lips as she eyed Rock Lee's hand wearily. It wasn't that she didn't like him, but his personality was slightly over bearing. Slowly she brought her hand from her lips and slipped it into Lee's hand. "I'm Yamahara Azami," the girl greeted back. Azami's lips twitched as she managed to give a small smile, "it's nice to meet you Lee-san." As the two shook hands, Azami took the chance to get a good look at the shinobi; a very thoughtful look was in her eyes.

Azami would admit that Lee's style was a bit odd, but it still suited him well. His bowl cut hair shined in the sun which surprised her. _"Most shinobi don't care about their hair,"_ Azami thought as she looked down at her own split ends. Yet she guessed he must have taken care of his hair with some mild care. Along with his busy eyebrows, green jumpsuit and orange legwarmers, Lee was something not usually seen.

Alright maybe his choice of clothing was _very_ odd.

"Azami-chan, you can let go of my hand if you wish," Lee said breaking through the kunoichi's thoughts.

"Huh? Oh!" Azami gasped slightly as she let go of Lee's hand and let hers fall to her side. She felt her face heat up as an embarrassed blush came over her cheeks. "_Gomen nasai_," Azami murmured bowing her head repeatedly.

Lee watched Azami with a tilted head: he gently patted her on the shoulder. "It is quite alright," he replied smiling. The teen moved his body to the right as something caught attention, "does that belong to you Azami-chan?" Lee questioned pointing to the object.

Azami turned slightly on her good foot and looked down; she let out a gasp as she bent over and picked up the object. "My bento box!" she exclaimed straightening up again, "I'm surprised it's still intact." Azami turned back to Lee; she bit down on her bottom lip. "I had three more though…" she spoke.

Teeth shined brightly as Lee smiled and gave Azami the thumbs up. "It is alright Azami-chan!" he announced loudly. "I shall find your bento boxes!"

Azami blinked as Lee rushed past her and the tree she was standing by, her eyes widened slightly. _"He's fast,"_ she said to herself as she looked down at the bento box in her hands. _"I hope the others didn't open,"_ the silver-haired girl thought, _"I worked hard on those lunches."_

"Hey Azami! Is that you?!"

Turning her head, Azami watched as two figures fell from the trees in front of her. Both were boys around her age. One sported a slightly annoyed look on his face while the other had a careless expression. Lifting a hand up Azami waved slightly.

"Azami-chan! I found the bento boxes, but sadly they were-"

Rock Lee came to a sudden halt as he stared at the two boys in front of him; he turned his attention to the one on the right. The teen had pale skin and long black hair that was tied in a low, neat ponytail. His dark blue eyes held a calm look in them. He had on a long white robe-like shirt, a dark blue sash laid across his waist. He wore black pants along with black ninja sandals. On his forehead was his blue-clothed hitai-ate, the Kumogakure symbol shimmered in the light.

"Who's this?" the boy said calmly as he turned his attention to Azami. His blue eyes held an almost soft look in them.

Lee smiled at the two other genin, "I am Konoha's Handsome Green Beast, Rock Lee!" he announced. His teeth seemed to shine brighter.

Azami smiled at Lee as she limped forward to the two boys, pivoting on her good foot she faced the teen. "Lee these are my teammates, Hashigawa Kado and Takashima Tanjiro," she said introduced softly.

Rock Lee nodded to Kado, before looking at the genin called Tanjiro. He was about his height and had fair skin. His hair was a mix of brown and red that was spiked in many random places, he also had light brown eyes. The outfit he was wearing was simple, a black muscle shirt with tan cargo pants. His hitai-ate was tied around his waist.

Kado took a quick glance at Azami, "why didn't you meet us at the training ground?" he questioned. "We were wondering where you were."

Tanjiro crossed his arms and glared at the kunoichi, "yeah, and where's our lunch?" he added.

Azami sighed as she reached over to Lee and took the three cracked and opened bento boxes he was holding. "Sorry Tanjiro-kun, I kind of got lost looking for you guys," she replied looking at her teammates. "When I found the training grounds, I tripped down a hill." A sad pout appeared on the silver-haired girl's face as she looked down at the ground. "I guess the bento boxes probably hit something and opened." Azami looked at Lee and gave a small smile, "Lee-san helped me though," she added.

"Good job baka," Tanjiro said hitting Azami across the head, the girl cringed. Rolling his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, "guess we're eating at home then," he murmured. "I'll meet you guys there. I don't feel like hanging around with a creep." Tanjiro took one last look at Lee; he smirked with a cocky look in his eyes. With that the genin disappeared as he jumped into the trees.

Azami sighed as she watched Tanjiro leave before turning back to Lee. "He's just hungry," she murmured. Azami attempted to give a weak smile, "he's kind…really." The kunoichi looked down at the ground with a shy look on her face; "I really appreciate you helping me today," Azami spoke. Taking the intact bento box, she held it out to Lee. "Take this as a show of my gratitude."

The green cladded ninja stared at the bento box for a moment. "Really?! Arigato Azami-chan!" Lee grinned as he took the bento box from the girl. "I shall treasure this first gift from you!"

Azami put a hand to her mouth as she giggled. Lee's oddness made her smile surprisingly, which she was happy for. "I'm glad," she spoke, "well we better be going." Azami winced slightly as she put pressure on her left foot, "_dewa mata_ Lee-san," she said. Nodding to Kado, both shinobi jumped into the trees. Azami waved quickly as she disappeared into the green of the leaves.

"Dewa mata Azami-chan!" Lee yelled as he waved back. The green cladded ninja stood there just staring at where Azami and her teammate use to be before looking down at the bento box in his hands. Popping open the food container easily he peered in, his eyes widened. Five different filled _onigiri_ were place neatly in the bento box. Crossing his legs, Lee sat down on the ground and picked up one of the triangular rice balls. Opening his mouth the genin took a bite out of the food.

Lee's large eyebrows rose as he munched on the onigiri, a heavenly look was clear in his eyes. _"It's good!"_ Lee thought letting out a happy sigh. And for the rest of that afternoon, Rock Lee, Konoha's Handsome Green Beast, enjoyed a lunch he certainly deserved.

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**Well I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus. I would atleast like to have one to three reviews for this chapter because I like constructive criticism. Also because I want to know if Azami may seem like she could become a Mary Sue, we don't want that happening right? I guess that's all I gots to say so, till next time!**

**xX.(Combat)Flats.Xx**

_Dewa mata__- _See you.

_Gomen nasai__- _I am sorry.

_Arigato__- _Thank you.

Onigiri- It's a Japanese riceball snack wrapped in seaweed that is very good! It's usually filled with something like fish.


	2. Team Gai

**Hey! Combat here with the second chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus. Sorry I have not updated in awhile, but I'm just starting highschool so things are a bit...up in the air. Well I won't talk anymores, so please read and enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto...not mine. Azami, mine. Got it? Good!**

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_**Chapter 2**_

A small, tired yawn came from Azami's lips as she laid in her blue covered bed. Her green eyes stared blankly up at her white ceiling of her temporary room. The morning rays of light shined softly through her transparent baby blue curtains. Azami let her eyes travel around her room for a moment before closing her eyes. Blue, it wasn't her favorite color but it wasn't her least. She always felt a calming feeling when she saw it though, it was the main reason she had chose the room, not for the space but for the color.

Reopening her eyes, Azami lazily pushed herself up and let out another yawn. She lifted a hand up as she rubbed her face. Shifting her body, Azami let her feet dangle over the side of the bed. She shivered slightly as her toes touched the cool wooden floor. Azami sat with her elbows on her legs for a moment trying to get herself to perk up. A small sigh came from her lips.

At that moment a loud knock came from her door, Azami lifted her head up. She smiled slightly as she recognized the chakra pattern. "Come in," she called.

Twisting the knob, Kado walked into Azami's room. He lifted his hand up in greeting as he leaned against a wall. "_Ohayou_," he murmured coolly. "How as your first night?"

Getting up from her bed Azami strode over to a side of her room. "It was alright," she answered smiling at Kado, "not the same as home though." The kunoichi stopped at a door and slid it over to the right revealing a closet. "What time is it?" Azami asked as she searched for her clothes.

Kado put his hands in his pockets as he looked out the window. His dark blue eyes narrowed slightly, "around eight," he murmured. Raising an eyebrow, Kado looked at the clothes Azami picked out. "Why are you wearing that?" he questioned.

Blinking, the silver-haired girl looked down at the clothes that were in her hand. She had a light purple, high collar shirt that came down to her waist. Attachable sleeves were on top of the shirt. The kunoichi also had loose white capris. Looking back at her teammate, Azami tilted her head. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Sighing, Kado shook his head. "We're not in the mountains anymore Azami," he said calmly. "Your clothes are made out of thick wool; don't you think you'll get too hot when we train today?"

Looking down at her clothes once more Azami shrugged slightly. "I guess, but it will be alright for a while," she said quietly. "I just have to go shopping, that's all."

"Which means you'll have to get money," Kado asked looking up at the ceiling. "How will you do that?"

Azami bit her bottom lips before looking at Kado, she smiled. "I'll figure something out," she spoke, "I just have to stay positive."

Kado stared at the kunoichi for a moment before nodding, "alright then," he murmured. Turning the genin walked towards the door, "oh, and breakfast is ready," Kado said over his shoulder. With that, the black-haired boy grabbed the knob and walked out. The door closed with a click behind him.

Azami smiled as she watched Kado walk out; even if the genin seemed cold he was always there to help her in some way. Turning away from the door, Azami stripped from her night clothes and changed into her training outfit. The teen walked over to her dresser and picked up a simple black brush. She pulled her head to the side as she ran the brush through her dark silver hair. Azami then picked up her hitai-ate and placed it against her neck. Tying the cloth securely, the kunoichi adjusted the front.

"I guess that will do," Azami said to herself as she turned and walked away from her dresser. The teen smiled as she strode over to her bed, her eyes were focused on the table next to her bed. Stopping in front of it, Azami looked down. She smiled as three faces smiled back at her. "I'm going to go train soon," the girl murmured, a sad look was in her eyes. Putting two fingers two her lips, Azami kissed them before laying them on the glass. "See you later, I love you" she spoke, with that Azami turned away from the table and walked over to her door; the lock clicked as she closed it.

Slightly skipping down the hall of her team's temporary one-story house, Azami hummed a small tune. Stopping quickly the kunoichi bent both of her legs before springing up. Turning on her left foot, she did a complete spin before placing her right foot on the ground. Azami stood still for a moment and let out a quiet breath through her lips. Straightened up, Azami continued walking towards her destination. Turning to the left, the kunoichi walked into a black and white tiled kitchen.

Steel gray eyes looked up as Azami entered the room, "I see you're awake," a baritone voice said. Sitting in a mahogany chair was a man about in his late twenties. He had very short spiky blond hair and tan skin. He wore a heavy flak jacket that went past his waist; it also had a dark sash across the beltline.

"Akio-sensei," Azami said bowing her head, the girl walked over and took a seat. She smiled as the older male pushed a bowl of rice and chopsticks in front of her. Azami held up the chopsticks and started picking at the rice. Putting some in her mouth, Azami chewed with a smile on her face. "You know sensei maybe you should give up being a shinobi," she said softly. "You would make an excellent cook."

Akio raised an eyebrow and looked at his youngest student, "right," he said sarcastically. "I'll do that once you give up a life of a kunoichi for the life of performing."

Azami pouted slightly as her sensei spoke, she put another ball of rice in her mouth. _"If I could I probably would, maybe,"_ she thought. Shaking her head, Azami pushed the bowl of half finished rice away. "I'm going to go for a walk," she said smiling as she jumped down from the chair.

Akio watched Azami with stern eyes; even if she tried to hide it, the girl was always quick to sadden. He watched as she made her way to the doorway, "Azami," Akio snapped, making the girl jump. "We have training in the afternoon, don't miss it."

Azami looked back at her sensei, for a moment her thought he was mad. "Of course Akio-sensei," the teen answered before walking out of the kitchen. Running her fingers through her hair, Azami listened to her steps as she walked down the hallway. "Even if I wanted to miss training I couldn't," she thought. "I only have a month to practice." The kunoichi thought of the main reason she was in the village of Konoha, _"hopefully I'll do alright."_

"And where do you think you're going?" a voice chimed.

Turning her head, Azami came face to face with Tanjiro. Her teammate stared at her with seemingly playful eyes. Azami lowered her gaze to the ground, "I-I'm going for a walk," she stuttered.

Tanjiro pouted slightly at the girl's stuttering, "Toughen up would you?" he barked. "You're stuttering for no reason." Tanjiro leaned against the wall next to the front door, "are you going to visit that fuzzy eyebrow creep from yesterday?" he questioned.

Azami looked up at Tanjiro, her eyes were slightly narrowed. "You shouldn't talk about Lee-san like that," she said coolly. The girl clenched her hand softly.

Tanjiro smirked as he moved off the wall and walked towards Azami. He stopped when they were both chest to chest. Looking down at her, he lifted a hand up and twisted strands of silver hair around his finger. "Who's going to stop me?" he asked. Brown eyes widened as Azami turned her head away from him; she was biting down on her lower lip. Tanjiro chuckled, "remember Azami-_chan ­_we're not here to make friends," he stated. "Besides in the end I-"

"Tanjiro leave her alone," a voice warned coolly.

Azami let out a grateful breath as Tanjiro backed away from her. Turning her head she looked at Kado who was sitting on a large couch in the living room. The nicely sized T.V. was on, but the male had a book in his hands. The kunoichi smiled as Kado gave her a small nod.

Tanjiro looked at Kado with narrowed eyes before clicking his tongue against his teeth. "Whatever," he muttered as he walked into the living room and sat down on a small chair. He glanced back at Azami for a moment before closing his eyes, "just be back for training," he mumbled.

Green eyed stared at Tanjiro for a moment before Azami sighed, "right," she said softly, giving a short wave as she slipped on her sandals and put a hand on the door knob. Turning it, Azami opened the door and walked out of the house. The teen walked down the steps of the house as she heard the door close behind her. Reaching the last step, Azami hopped down and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful spring day, _"maybe something good will happen today," _she thought. With a happy thought in mind Azami started to walk down the street, a soft smiled graced her lips.

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"Come on Lee! Put your back into it!"

"Hai, Gai-sensei!"

Lee swung his leg against the trunk of a large tree with great enthusiasm. Training with his sensei watching made the teen work harder, even though he always worked hard when it came to training. He blocked out the sounds of different weapons being blocked as Neji and Tenten trained not far from him. Lee jumped on the leg he was currently using to kick the tree and switch to his other leg. He did not slow do his pace as he continued.

Hard breathing came from Tenten as Neji blocked another ten of her weapons. The girl let out a small sigh as she rested her hands on her legs. "Neji, can we take a break?" she called. It wasn't as if the kunoichi of team Gai didn't want to continued, it was just she felt like she couldn't move her arms. _"Neji has been blocking my weapons sooner then usual,"_ Tenten thought looking at her training partner.

Hyuuga Neji stared at the brunette for a moment, he deactivated his Byakugan. "Fine," he said.

Smiling, Tenten sat down where she stood. Her chocolate brown eyes gazed around at her weapons that were scattered every where. The weapon mistress sighed softly, more work for her. Feeling an unfamiliar chakra, Tenten turned her head to a clearing. Tilting her head, she looked at Neji. "Hey who is that?" she asked.

Neji glanced the way his teammate had been looking, his eyes narrowed as he saw a girl. "I don't know," he stated.

Lee, hearing the Hyuuga talk stopped in mid-kick and turned his head. His teeth sparkled as he grinned; Lee turned his body fully. "Azami-chan!" the Taijutsu yelled waving his hands wildly.

Azami's eyes brightened as she saw green cladded teen. The kunoichi had been afraid that she had come to the wrong part of the training grounds. Seeing Lee starting to make his way over to her, Azami did the same. "Ohayou Lee-san," she said waving, tilting her head Azami looked at three pairs of eyes staring back at her. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" Azami asked softly.

Lee stopped in front of Azami and shook his head dramatically, "it's quite alright," he said brightly. "Just morning practice." Fuzzy eyebrows raised as an idea popped into Lee's mind, grabbing Azami's hand he started to lead her. "You must meet the rest of team Gai!" he said. Giving her no time to reply, Lee practically dragged the silver-haired girl over to his teammates.

"Why Lee! Who is this youthful flower?" a strong, but kind voice questioned.

Azami found herself hiding behind Lee with the tip of her nose resting on his shoulder. Her eyes held a confused looked at she gazed at the person who spoke. She saw bowl-cut hair, huge fuzzy eyebrows, a green jumpsuit and orange legs warmers. _"He looks exactly like Lee," _Azami thought. _"Or is it the other way around?"_

"Gai-sensei! This is my youthful friend Azami!" Lee said smiling. Putting a hand on the girl's back, Lee pushed Azami in front of him. "She came all the way from Kumogakure."

"What is she doing in Konoha then?" a stoic voice questioned.

Azami turned her attention to a long, brown-haired boy. She lowered her head as he stared at her yet, she still felt like his pearl eyes were boring into her skull. The teen tilted her head up slightly. He wore a tan shirt and black shorts, her eyes traveled to the bandages on his right leg and arm. Azami looked up more and connected with his eyes, her eyes widened slightly. _"He's a Hyuuga,"_ she thought mildly surprised.

"Neji that is no way to greet a friend," Gai scolded.

"No i-it's fine," Azami butted in nervously. "I mean in our village we would probably act the same way." Putting her hands behind her back, Azami held onto her wrists, she turned her gaze to the ground.

"Still though, we should treat other shinobi with kindness," a voice said. Looking up, Azami was faced with chocolate brown eyes and hair that was tied in two buns. Taking a small step back as she looked at the girl, Azami smiled slightly. She wore a pink Chinese styled shirt with blue pants. The girl put her hand out to Azami, "I'm Tenten," she said kindly. "It's nice to meet you Azami."

Putting her hand out, Azami shook Tenten's hand. "It's nice to meet you too," she said softly. A content feeling came to Azami as she continued to look at Tenten, she was happy there was another girl who seemed kind.

Neji looked at Azami with a hard gaze; "even so," he began. "The village wouldn't allow other village's shinobi to enter without a reason."

Azami turned her attention to Neji and nodded, she agreed with him. "That is true," she spoke. "Yet I thought you would already know already." Green eyes glanced in Gai's direction, "didn't you tell your team about the Chuunin Exams yet?"

Lee looked at Azami confused before looking at the other Green Beast, "Gai-sensei?" he said tilting his head

"Come around youthful students," Gai motioned as he sat down on the ground. The four genin sat around him. "I was planning on telling you guys later this week," He began, "but since Azami brought it up there's no point for waiting!" The jounin smiled at his students brightly, "you all will be entering the Chuunin Exams, which is a series of test that decides weather you'll move on to the next level of being a shinobi." Gai gave a thumbs up, "I'm sure your three are ready for the next step."

"Exactly when is the Chuunin Exams?" Neji questioned.

It was Azami who answered, "about a three weeks from now," she said softly, somewhat noticing the glare Neji was giving her.

Tenten looked at Azami curiously, "why are you here so early?" she questioned. "I haven't seen any shinobi from different villages yet."

"Well since Kumogakure is quite a ways off," Azami spoke softly, "my sensei decided to bring us early. Besides we didn't have any out of village missions for three weeks."

Lee nodded fiercely, "well that is acceptable answer," he said smiling. "Yet I do not know what I would do if we did not have youthful missions for three weeks!"

Azami giggled slightly at Lee's response, "I think I could say the same," she spoke. Green eyes blinked as the silver-haired girl thought, she almost forgot why she came here. "Oh, and Lee?" Azami said catching the genin's attention again, "I wanted to apologize for Tanjiro's actions to you yesterday," she said. "It wasn't right for him to do that."

Lee stared at Azami with confusion for a moment, before remembering. "It's fine, do not worry about it!" he said gleefully. "He's just full of youth!"

Azami smiled nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck, _"well he full of something…"_ she thought.

Tenten watched Azami and Lee interact with a curious eye. The genin didn't seem bugged about her teammate's personality or appearance. The kunoichi turned her attention to Neji who was looking in the opposite direction; Tenten could see a hard look in his eyes. _"Wonder what's wrong," _she thought. Shaking her head Tenten got up from her place on the ground and held a hand out to Azami, "would you like to train with us?" she asked.

Lee jumped up with great speed, "yes Azami-chan train with us!" he said happily. "It would be a bout that would boost your spirits."

Azami looked at Tenten and took her hand, she pulled herself up. "Gomen nasai you guys but I can't," she said sadly. "I have to go train with my team." Silver hair shined as Azami looked up at the sky, the sun was shining brightly. "To tell you the truth I think I'm already late!" The kunoichi looked down at Gai, "but I would love to someday," Azami said bowing her head, "if I was aloud to I mean."

Gai's teeth sparkled brightly as he smiled, "of course Azami," he answered. "You're welcome here with us. The more the merrier!"

Azami smiled before turning her head to Neji, "is that alright with you Neji-san?" she questioned softly.

The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow at the honorific; his pearl eyes stared at Azami for a long moment. With a slight shrug, Neji crossed his arms and looked the other way.

Azami smile faltered for a moment, but it remained. She knew that answered the brown-haired boy gave her was sort of a yes, but she felt there was still a barrier. For some reason to her, Neji seemed angry. Coming out of her thoughts, Azami looked at Team Gai. "Well I'll take my leave now," she spoke. "It was nice to meet you all."

With that Azami took off across the field, her feet danced across the grass. She turned her head back to see most of Team Gai waving goodbye. Putting a hand up, Azami waved back to them, she couldn't stop herself from giggling slightly. "They seem like a close team," the silver-haired girl said to herself. The feeling of admiration swelled up inside of Azami, _"maybe my team can be like that someday!"_ she thought as she continued running back to her house. _"Maybe…"_

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**Well that's it, the second chapter! Sorry if it seems a bit boring, but I swear it will get better. Please review to tell me your opinions (comments, character development, ect.) They're always welcomed no matter what! So till next time, ta ta for now!**

**xX.(Combat)Flats.Xx**

_Ohayou_- Good Morning.


	3. A Secret Dream

**Well I must say, I'm happy for long weekends. It gives me more time to write and do homework I was to lazy to do -cough- Also I would like to thank my current reviewers...nightofthefullmoon(anon.), Elemental Dragon Swordman, Kendansa and Leite Destiny! Thankyou very much! Anywho, lets get on with it. Here's the third chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus. I hope you enjoy! -bows-**

**Disclaimer: -sigh- I do not own Naruto in any shape or form. Got it? I'm just not that cool.**

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_**Chapter 3**_

"Azami you ready?" a voice questioned.

"Hai, Akio-sensei"

A calm looking Azami put her hands out in front of her face and slipped her feet into a fighting position. Her green eyes gazed at Kado and Tanjiro who stood in front of her; they were in a fighting position as well. Even if the numbers looked unfair, the teen was use to it. Uneven fights in the ninja world happened all the time and her sensei didn't want them to go out on their own unprepared. Another good thing was the backyard to the house was big enough to practice in, no one would disturb them.

"Remember! Taijutsu only!" Akio shouted from the step his was standing on. "Any ninjutsu or genjutsu and you'll be fighting me with your hands behind your back." A smirk played on Akio's face as his students looked at him wide-eyed. When the man talked, he said what he meant. "Now begin!"

Azami shot off the ground at an amazing speed, her silver hair flew behind her. Bringing her legs up, the teen lashed out at Kado and Tanjiro. She felt one foot connect with Tanjiro, but Kado had ducked down to dodge. The black-haired genin grabbed Azami's foot and threw her to the side. The teen let out a yelp as she skidded to the ground.

Azami lifted her head up quickly as she a shadow loom over her. The teen quickly rolled away just in time to miss Tanjiro's heel. Azami quickly jumped to her feet and aimed a punch at Tanjiro which was easily deflected with him pushing down on her wrist. The male smirked as he aimed to punch her in the jaw. His eyes seemed to gleam.

Azami arched her back missing Tanjiro's fist and one of Kado's legs, _"thank goodness I'm flexible,"_ she though. Azami bent herself back further till she was on her hands. Letting one of her hands come in front of the other the teen twisted her body; causing her legs to swing out. She saw both males jumped back and Azami came back to her feet. Her green eyes watched as both male's circled her.

Kado was the first to jump at Azami again. Kado thrust a fist into the girl's stomach, he heard her take an intake of breath as she spun to the side. As she did, Azami brought a leg up and let her chakra flow through it. Her body spun slowly half way before Azami twisted on her grounded leg and kicked Kado in the back. She watched as his blue eyes widened as he flew into a tree in the backyard. Green eyes brightened with a bit of confidence.

Azami let out a sudden scream as a kick collided with her cheek. She ducked down to dodge another kick from Tanjiro. The two stared at each other for a moment before launching forward. Azami was feeling weary but she continued to match her teammate blow for blow. The two jumped back quickly, the female genin could see anger in Tanjiro's eyes. She cringed slightly and her green eyes widened as the feeling of confidence left and fear overwhelmed her.

"_Kuro Sanketsu no Jutsu!"_

Azami gasped as she soon felt herself become submerged in water. Her eyes widened in fear as she started to trash with no avail. She tried to scream but nothing came out, she couldn't get air to pass through her lungs. _"I don't want to die,"_ Azami thought fearfully. _"Please not like this."_ The girl shut her eyes as tears started to escape them.

Azami curled herself up in a ball as she felt herself sinking, her vision was going blurry. She felt cold and weak, something she hated feeling. _"I'm worthless,"_ she thought to herself. _"I'll never be a great kunoichi like Okaa-san or Kazue." _Black eyelashes fluttered as Azami started to close her eyes. Failure was the only word that rang in her head.

At that moment Azami started coughing and the world seemed to become bright again. Her eyes widened as she got the much needed air she prayed for. Azami could hear voices shouting before she saw a shadow loom over her. The teen felt her body being picked up slightly and leaned against something warm. Azami clutched her hands hoping to get more heat, her whole body shivered.

"You're alright Azami, you're alright."

Shiny green eyes looked up at meet dark blue ones; Azami felt her hair being brushed out of her eyes. Slowly the teen let her head lull to the side as she slowly closed her eyes. Azami's breathing became steady and slow as she slipped into unconsciousness.

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By the time Azami woke up that day, the sun was setting. Her green eyes blinked as she looked through the blue curtain of her window. A small cough came from her throat as she groaned and rolled over. Her throat was dry and it killed. Lifting a weak hand up, Azami put her arm over her eyes to block out the light. At the moment it was too bright for her.

"I see you're awake," a voice said calmly.

Not removing her arm from her face, Azami only turned her head in the direction the voice came from. "Kado-kun," she murmured softly, her voice sounded hoarse. Green eyes peaked out from under Azami's arm as she moved it; she looked at the male who was sitting on a chair. "What's happened?" she questioned.

Kado let out a small sigh from his lips as he reached towards the table next to Azami's bed, "You passed out during training," he stated simply. Pale fingers wrapped around a cup of steaming tea. Kado placed his free hand behind Azami's back and slowly pushed her into a sitting position. "Here," he said handing her the tea. Observant blue eyes watched as Azami put the cup to her lips and sipped at the tea. "Tanjiro used one of his clan's genjutsus on you," Kado said.

Azami's hands went stiff for a moment before she let the teacup come away from her lips. "I see," the teen murmured softly, her green eyes looked into her tea as it slowly rippled. Azami turned his attention to Kado, "where is he now?" she asked.

"Akio-sensei made Tanjiro fight him with his hands tied behind his back," Kado said, a hint of amusement was in his voice. "But not before yelling at him for not following orders," he added.

Azami turned her gaze back to her tea as the ripples seemed to grow, her hands were shaking. "I failed horribly, didn't I?" the teen whispered. "It was a just a genjutsu and I couldn't depict it from reality." Green eyes closed as Azami felt tears starting to well up in her eyes; she quickly turned her head away from Kado's view. "I'll never be ready for the Chuunin Exams," Azami whispered.

Kado's left eyebrow twitched slightly and he let out a small annoyed groan. Azami's confidence was an issue, _"if she can't learn to trust in her abilities, she really won't be ready,"_ he thought. Raising a hand up, Kado placed it on Azami's head and ruffled her hair. "Just practice," he said softly. "You're getting there, really."

Azami looked at Kado and tilted her head to the side; her eyes were still shiny with unshed tears. "Arigato Kado-kun," she murmured. The girl still felt dreadful, but her teammate's words did mean something to her.

The dark-haired male just nodded as he took his hand away from Azami's head. He reached out for the cup in her hand and placed it on the table. Kado slowly rose from the chair he was sitting on and stretched. "You should get some more sleep," he said.

Azami simply nodded and brought the light blanket over her shoulders, "alright,' she spoke quietly.

Kado seemed to smile at Azami as he walked to her bedroom door. Turning the knob he looked back at her. He could see her smiling softly at him. Giving a curt nod, Kado opened the door and walked out. A small clicking noise was heard as it shut.

Azami stared at the door for a few more moments before turning over to her other side. Her green eyes stared out at the bright orange sunset; a small smile graced her lips as her body curled up slightly. _"Kado's right,"_ Azami thought, _"I just need to practice."_ A small yawn came from the genin's lips as she slowly closed her eyes. Soon Azami was drifting off into a quiet, peaceful sleep.

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The early morning in Konoha was quiet as most of the village still slept. The sky was painted with hues of blues and the sun was only peaking out over the horizon. Azami stood staring out her window with her arms crossed. The kunoichi's eyes held a tired and sad look in them as she listened to soft early morning chirping of the birds. A small huff escaped her lips.

It was a Saturday morning and Azami had been training hard with her team over the pass few days. Her sensei and Kado were telling her she was improving, but the girl still felt like she was coming up short. _"What am I doing wrong?"_ Azami thought to herself as she backed away from the window. The girl closed her eyes, "I just need to clear my mind," she murmured.

Walking over to her closet, Azami slid back the door and crouched down. Her eyes and hands moved as she cleared some boxes out of the way. A smile crept to her face as she found what she was looking for, a small boombox. Pulling the circular item towards her, the silver-haired girl pressed down on a button making the top open. "This will work," Azami said looking at the CD. She pressed back down on the boombox closing it and stood up.

Azami walked out of her room quietly and made her way down the hall. A small giggled escaped her lips as she heard snoring coming from Kado's room. Shaking her head, the teen became calm again as she peeked into the kitchen then into the living room. She tilted her head, _"Hmm, Akio-sensei is usually up at this time,"_ Azami thought. _"He probably went out or something." _Moving towards the door, Azami slowly unlocked it and walked out of the house; the door closed quietly behind her.

The silver-haired teen jogged down the deserted main road of Konoha, her boombox rocked at her side. Azami soon found herself heading for a familiar place as the dirt ground was soon replaced by grass. Green eyes looked out of the training field, no one was in sight. Walking out of the trees, Azami placed her boombox on the ground and stretched. She stared up as the sky for a moment before leaning down and touching the 'play' symbol.

Azami's eyes closed as the soft music of a piano echoed through the training grounds. She slowly moved her right foot in front and let it touch the heel of her left foot. _"Clear your mind,"_ Azami thought to herself. _"Just focus on the present."_ The kunoichi slowly started moving as a voice joined the piano.

_Goodnight, sleep tight  
No more tears_

_In the morning I'll be here_

Azami arched her body back while letting her arm curve near her head. Her other arm was stretched out to the side while one of her legs slowly lifted into the air. For others the position might have look painful, but it was quite simple. All you would need in balance and concentration. Green eyes opened as Azami stared up at that morning sky.

_And when we say goodnight,  
Dry your eyes  
Because we said goodnight,_

Azami listened to music and preformed different dance steps she learned over the years. Stress was something very common in a shinobi's life and the kunoichi had found releasing it by dancing would maybe keep her head steady. _"Even if I have to give up one of my closest dreams," _Azami thought as she point her left toe out and kept her arms diagonal from each other. _"I'll keep holding onto it for as long as I can."_

_And not goodbye  
We said goodnight_

Azami brought arms in a circular motion as she got up on her toes. Using on leg, the kunoichi made herself spin. She continued to spin as she moved her free leg out and back to her body to gain speed. Letting her chakra flow from her body, Azami started to spin faster and faster. Even as her body started to move, Azami kept spinning. A happy smile was on the female's lips. _  
_

_And not goodbye_

Green eyes widened as Azami felt her foot hit something. She shut her eyes as she lost her balance and tripped. Hitting the ground, Azami only let out a small 'ouch' and rubbed her head. The girl blinked as heard something groan. Azami let out a short scream as she jumped and skidded back with her arms. Her eyes held a confused look as she gazed at the curled up shadow that was in front of her.

Gulping, Azami slowly got on her knees and moved closer to it. She stiffened as she heard it murmur something, but continued to move forward. Hands shaking, Azami slowly placed a hand on it and turned to towards her. Her eyes widened as the unmistakable color green came into the morning sun. Green eyes could only blink.

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"_Gai-sensei! I've done it!" an excited Lee yelled as he jumped up and down in the air. A bright smile was plastered on the genin's face at the task he had just accomplished. A taijutsu technique that his sensei said that he would only be able to master. Rock Lee turned his attention to his sensei and gave a thumbs up._

"_Great job Lee!" The jounin said smiling brightly; tears of joy were running down his face. Gai was standing a ways off from his student and started running to him, his arms were opened wide waiting for an embrace. "Lee!" Gai yelled._

_The black-haired genin ran towards Gai with tears falling from his eyes. He could see a sunset come into the background as he ran to sensei. "Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted._

"_Lee!" Gai shouted back_

"_Gai-sensei!"_

"_Lee!"_

"_Gai-sensei!"_

"Lee-san?"

"_Gai-sensei!"_

"Lee-san? Please wake up!"

Dark eyes opened wide as Rock Lee came back to reality, the genin rubbed his head in confusion. "Gai-sensei?" he said puzzled.

Azami let out a sigh of relief as Lee sat up; she brushed her silver hair out of her face. "Lee-san, it's me," Azami said softly.

Lee turned his head towards the kunoichi and smiled brightly, confusion was no longer present on his face. "Oh, Azami-chan," he said slightly surprised. The Green Beast tilted his head as he looked at Azami fully. "Why are you wearing that?" Lee asked.

Azami looked down at herself blinking; her cheeks turned a soft hue of pink. She was wearing a purple shirt that looked more like a sports bra and black pants that were an inch above her knees. The kunoichi crossed her arms over her stomach suddenly fell naked. "I-I was training," Azami managed to say. "Yet I think I should be asking you why you're out here, Lee-san."

The green cladded shinobi gave Azami a thumbs up, "I was out here training also," he said proudly. Lee tilted his head up towards the sky and rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess I fell asleep," he said sheepishly.

Azami's lips twitch as she gave a hesitant laugh. _"Fell asleep or worked yourself into unconsciousness I wonder,"_ she thought to herself. Green eyes shifted down and Azami tilted her head to the side, slowly her eyes widened. "Lee-san! Your bandages!" she gasped.

Rock Lee looked at Azami confused for a second before lifting his arm up. The usually white bandages were now covered with blotches of blood. Lee only smiled as he turned his attention back to Azami, "it's alright," he reassured. "It's dry."

The silver-haired kunoichi continued to look at Lee's bandaged hand before slowly reaching her own hand out. Azami lightly placed her fingers on the bandages and ran her hand back and forth, _"he's right,"_ she thought. Yet something inside the girl still bothered her, Azami looked up at Lee. "May I take a look?" she asked softly.

Rock Lee only smiled and nodded, "if that is what you wish," he said happily.

Azami stared a Lee for a moment before quickly looking down at his arm. She felt suddenly light headed, _"his smile,"_ Azami thought, _"it's so warm." _Taking Lee's arm gently, the kunoichi started to unfold the bandages. As her hand continued to remove the bandages, Azami's eye narrowed slightly. She looked up at Lee who seemed to be lost in his own little world before she looked back down at his arm.

Scratches and gash covered Lee's entire arm, some were old and others recently new. Azami gently ran her fingers over Lee's arm, _"he puts himself through so much,"_ the kunoichi thought. _"I wonder why?"_ Even if Azami was worried about the shinobi in front of her, she couldn't help but admire him slightly. A sad smile made its' way to her lips.

"Aza-chan? Are you alright?"

Azami surprised by the new nickname, looked up to meet to Lee's worried eyes looking down at her. The girl nodded, "I'm fine Lee-san," she replied softly. "But some of your wounds look pretty bad." The kunoichi let out a small huff of breath as she remembered she didn't bring any medical supplies. "I would like to bandage them again but I don't have anything here with me."

Rock Lee smiled at Azami, "that is not a problem," he said. "My house is not far from here if you wish to get bandages from there."

Green eyes brightened immensely at Lee's replied, "that would be fine," Azami said getting up from her place on the ground and standing. She held out a hand to Lee and smiled.

The Green Beast took Azami's hand and pulled himself up from the ground. Rock Lee smile as Azami let go of his hand and walked over to her boombox, his thoughts wandered as he continued to look at her. Azami was very different from some of the girls in the village. When she looked at him she didn't focus on his eyebrows and hair cut or at least she didn't mention it. Rock Lee also noticed how Azami was a shy girl yet she tried to talk to him.

"Ready Lee-san?" a soft voice questioned.

Giving one of his 'nice guy' poses, Lee nodded. "Yes," the green cladded ninja said, "Let us go." With that, Rock Lee started walking out of the training grounds with a smiling Azami trailing after him.

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**Well here's the third chapter, I hope you liked it! Please if you do not mind, review with your opinions. Anything from readers is very much appreciated. So thank you and so long for now!**

**xX.(Combat)Flats.Xx**

_Kuro Sanketsu no Jutsu_- Black Suffocation Technique

_Okaa-san_- Mother


	4. The Unknown Nindo

**Hey! I'm back and here to bring you the fourth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus. I really can't think of a name for this chapter but if you have one, suggestions are greatly welcomed. Also at this time I would like to thank Leite Destiny and Kendansa for reviewing the last chapter. You guys rock and get tons of cookies! Now, on with the fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto, it would be awesome if I did, but I don't! I only own Azami and her squad, alright? Now read and enjoy!**

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_**Chapter 4**_

The village streets were softly buzzing as Lee and Azami walked through Konoha. Venders were opening their shops getting ready for the day while early birds floated around conversing with each other. Azami gazed around her surroundings with interest; she had never seen the village this early in the morning. Putting her hands behind her back, the kunoichi continued to let her eyes wander. A serene smile came to her lips.

Lee looked back at Azami curiously for a moment before looking down at her hand. "Aza-chan? What is the boombox for?" he questioned.

Azami tilted her head to the side as she lifted her hand up that carried the boombox. She gave a small, shy smile. "I was dancing," the girl spoke quietly.

Lee's eyes softened as he continued to stare at Azami. The girl wasn't facing him directly, but he could see her biting her bottom lip in almost what seemed like worry. _"Is she afraid of something?"_ the Konoha shinobi thought confused.

Thinking Lee was wondering about her current statement, Azami looked towards the sky. "How can I explain this," she murmured to herself, green eyes brightened as a thought came to mind. "Lee-san? You make yourself stronger by exercising and sparring with your teammates, correct?" Azami asked.

Dark eyes blinked as Lee looked down at the girl next to him. "That is right," he said smiling. Azami couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Well you see," she began softly. "To make myself stronger I spar with my team but also dance." Azami's gaze shifted to the ground for a moment before she looked back at Lee," for me, dancing gives me flexibility but also trains my mind. It gives that calm balance to me that shinobi should have even in the face of danger." A small pout appeared on Azami's lips, _"even though I haven't really figured out how to utilize the situation and emotion yet," _she thought.

Listening to Azami, a considerate look appeared on Rock Lee's face. He seemed deep in thought; he didn't notice the dark silver-haired kunoichi looking at him worriedly. Black haired shined softly in the morning light. "Right," he said hitting his fist onto his other hand's open palm. Lee turned his attention back to Azami, "Azami-chan I shall try dancing!" he announced. "It seems most youthful."

Green eyes blinked in astonishment at Lee's sudden statement, Azami lowered her head slightly but still kept her eyes on Lee. "It's harder then it looks though," she spoke, the girl's voice suddenly became serious. "Steps, positions, posture, they'll all keen elements." Azami's eyebrows rose as she saw a glimpse of sadness is Lee's eyes. She quickly shook her head, "I'm not saying to not try it or anything," Azami quickly said. She bowed her head slightly, "Gomen."

Lee raised a hand and gave Azami a pat on the back, "there is nothing to worry about," he said cheerfully. "Yet Azami-chan?" he said, the girl gave him a questionable look. "One day, would you dance for me someday?" Seeing the girl's eyes widened slightly and her lips not move, Lee continued talking. "It is just I learn better by watching and maybe I can pick something up from you."

Azami stared at Lee, she was slightly shocked. _"No one has ever asked me that before,"_ she thought. Azami's face remained blank for a few moments before turning to one filled with happiness. The girl shook her head, and gave Lee a warm smile, "I would be honored to," Azami said gratefully. "It would be great to help you out Lee-san."

The green cladded ninja smiled at the kunoichi, "arigato Azami-chan!" Lee said happily. His pearly white teeth shined as he smiled.

Azami felt light on her feet, a sense of pride was deep in her heart. The kunoichi was glad that she could make someone feel happy, especially if the person could make her smile as well. A small, almost excited grin graced her lips.

"Azami-chan, we're here," Lee said.

Azami came to a quick stop and looked to the left; she tilted her head up slightly. A simple white house with green shutters stood in front of her. She turned her head to the mail box that was to her right; Azami leaned in closer to look at the nice cursive writing on the mail collector.

'_Lee'_

"Azami-chan! Are you coming?"

Finishing her observations, Azami looked to Lee who was already at the front door. "Y-Yeah," the girl said as she walked through the white colored gates surrounding the house and walked to the door. Azami stopped next to Lee as he twisted the door knob a couple of times before the door actually opened. She murmured a small thank you as Lee allowed her to enter the house before walking in himself. Azami looked around and slipped on her ninja sandals before placing them and her boombox on a green mat next to the door. Her green eyes looked around in curiosity as she walked forward

Lee slipped off his ninja sandals and placed them on a green mat as well, he looked down at the hall of his home. The walls were painted a light beige and the floor was covered with shiny oak wood. Along the walls were paintings and pictures. Down the hall were doorways leading to different part of the house. _"Home, sweet, home,"_ the taijutsu user thought.

"Lee-kun? Is that you?" a kind voice called.

Azami found herself slipping behind Lee as she saw a woman come out from one of the doorways. She was a lot older then Azami and had pale skin. She had dark brown eyes with long black hair that was in a low ponytail. The woman was wearing a blue Chinese styled top with light blue jeans.

Lee smiled at the older woman as he walked forward followed by Azami. "Ohayou Kaa-san," he said.

A pale hand was placed on Lee's head as his mother ruffled his hair a bit, a playful pout was on her lips. "Yes, morning," she said, "I told you if you're going to be out all night training, at least come home and tell me." Brown eyes flickered to Lee's arms, "and I see you have more wounds, oh what am I to do?" she said dramatically. The woman looked from her son to Azami who was looking down at the ground, "and who is this? A new friend of yours Lee-kun?" the woman questioned.

Azami stepped forward and stood next to Lee, the girl bowed her head down. "My name is Yamahara Azami," she said softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lee's mom placed a hand on Azami's shoulder, a smile was on her lips as the younger girl looked up. "So _you're_ the Kumogakure kunoichi that Lee-kun was talking about a couple days ago," she said. "It's nice to meet you also, my name is Ju Lee." The woman giggled as Azami twiddled her thumbs, she looked to Lee. "You're right, she is shy," Ju said playfully.

Lee watched Azami blush before looking at his mother, "Kaa-san, I'm going to get some bandages," the genin said, he then looked to Azami. "You can go sit in the living room if you would like." With that the Green Beast walked down the hall and disappeared into another part of the house.

"They're in the bathroom cabinet where they always are," Ju yelled to her son as she turned, the woman started to walk back down the hallway. "Oh and breakfast will be ready in a couple minutes," she said walking back through the doorway. Ju peeked her head out once more and looked at Azami, "would you like some breakfast too Azami-chan?" she questioned.

"H-_hai_, if that's alright," the silver-haired kunoichi replied softly. Watching Ju disappear once more, Azami wandered to the left into the living room Lee had spoken of. Azami walked on the polished wood floor as she looked around the room. It had two small green couches on each side and a long table in the middle of the room. There was a large bookcase near one of the couches and on the other side of it was a small table. "Cozy," Azami said to herself as she sat down on one of the couches.

At that moment Lee appeared in the doorway carrying a bowl of water, a cloth, and some gauze bandages. The shinobi smiled at Azami as he set the things on the table in front of the couch and sat down next to her. Lee held an arm out to her, "I thank you for doing this Azami-chan," he said.

The kunoichi took Lee's hand into her own as she started to unwrap the old bandages, she smiled softly at him. "No thanks necessary," Azami said softly. "I'm so use to doing this for Kado and Tanjiro it's second nature really." The teen was gentle as she slowly pulled the bandage off, Azami eyes gazed over Lee's many wounds. "You train more then the average genin," she murmured like it was a fact. "Am I right by guessing this isn't the first time you've slept outside?"

Lee nodded in agreement; a smile was on his face. "Yes," he said. "I believe the key to becoming stronger is hard work." A flame was burning in Lee's eyes, "and so for that reason I shall train day and night-Ouch!"

Azami squeezed Lee's hand slightly as she continued to dab the damp cloth against the wounds, "gomen," she said quietly. The kunoichi placed the cloth back into the bowl of water, she picked up the bandages. "I think you training to improve yourself is great Lee-san," Azami said as she started to wrap the bandages around the taijutsu user's arm. "But you have to take care of your body as well. You have to know your limits."

Rock Lee turned his gaze to the table; Azami looked at him slightly confused. "I must surpass those limits if I wish to be at my best," he said confidently. "I must surpass those limits if I wish to follow my _nindo_." Lee looked back at Azami, "you understand that, don't you Aza-chan?"

Azami looked down at Lee's half bandaged arm, the girl's shoulders slumped. A memory drifted into her consciousness, Azami bit her bottom lip. _"Nindo,"_ she thought.

_- -Flashback- -_

"_Mommy do I have a nindo?" a small seven year child asked._

"_Every shinobi does darling, it's what you fight for," a soft voice answered. "But it's up to them to find exactly what it is. Does that answer your question?"_

_- -End of Flashback- -_

Azami looked up at Lee, she smiled sadly at him. "To be perfectly honest Lee-san, I don't understand, I really don't," she spoke softly; a lost look was in the girl's eyes. "I don't know what my nindo is but," Azami paused as she shifted her gaze to the ground. "I can see yours means a lot to you and I wouldn't try to stop you from completing it." Green eyes looked back up at Lee; there was a trace of understanding her in eyes.

Lee smiled at Azami; she hadn't yelled at him or put him down about his dream. Even if the girl was shy, at least she spoke the truth, which he was glad for. Lee leaned in closer to Azami before wrapping his arms. "Arigato Aza-chan," he said smiling.

The kunoichi felt her cheeks heat up as Lee held her in the hug. Lifting a hand up, she patted him softly on the back. Azami slowly pulled away from Lee and looked him in the eyes, "but please, if you could," she murmured, "just be a little more careful. I would hate to see you get terribly hurt."

Pleading green eyes stared up into Lee's. He stared down at Azami for a moment before smiling, "alright Aza-chan," he said brightly. "For a youthful flower, I will!"

Azami smiled back at Lee at his answer. She tied a small bow and tucked it underneath the wrapped bandages as she finished wrapping an arm. She took his other arm and starting to take the bandage off. Azami had a questioning look in her eyes, "Lee-san?" she spoke softly. "May I ask you something?"

Lee looked at Azami, "of course Aza-chan," he answered.

Azami concentrated on Lee's arm for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Every shinobi finds their nindo eventually, right?" she asked softly. She tilted her head up slightly to look at him.

Lee blinked as he stared at Azami, he could see a distressed look on her face. The genin's teeth shined as he put a thumb up. "Certainly Aza-chan," he said confidently. "Just like the sunset, a shinobi's nindo will always rise!"

Azami nodded slowly, a shy smile returned to her lips. "Right, arigato Lee-san," she said softly. The kunoichi brushed her hair out of her face as she focused on the task ahead, yet her mind was still distracted by Lee's words. Even though Azami had just recently met him, the teen could see that Lee could take the gloom and doom out of situations and turn them to the more optimistic side. Green eyes looked to Lee who was staring out a window, the way the sun reflected on his face looked just right. Right there and then, Azami made a silent oath to herself, she looked to the colorful sky.

"_I will find my nindo. Yet for now I'll just keep trying my best, and that's a promise!"_

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**Well there's the chapter! I'm sorry if it seemed like bit of a filler, but it's important (I hope...) Well anyways, please review, it actually helps me know people are reading and I want to hear your opinions. They are IMPORTANT! Guess that's all so ta ta for now!**

**xX.(Combat)Flats.Xx**

_Hai_- Yes

_Nindo_- "Way of the ninja."


	5. Messages and Arguments

**Hey! Combat here! I'm sorry I haven't been able to update, high school is a bit hetic but I've been writing little bits of Dance of An Eternal Lotus when I can. Anywho I would like to thank my reviewers including my new one RemedyX, also Elemental Dragon Swordman and XxXLoveless-NinjaXxX for favoriting my story and lastly Hinata11235, Leite Destiny, XxXLoveless-NinjaXxX and nicsnort for alaerting my story. Again, I thank ALL of you! Now with all that done, here's the fifth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, m'kay?**

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_**Chapter 5**_

The sounds of his own footsteps echoing were the only thing Akio heard as he walked down one of the many tan hallways of the Hokage's building. Even though the jounin did not show it, inside his heart was thumping a mile a second. He ran a hand through his short hair before letting out a sigh. Did the Raikage really think the Hokage would accept his request, especially with what happened a few years back? Akio only ruffled his hair more in annoyance, he hated politics.

Removing his hand from his head, Akio reached into the sash of his uniform. His hand searched for a moment before feeling something brush passed his fingertips. Grabbing onto the object, Akio pulled it out and stared at it. A pure white, rolled up paper stared back at him. Twisting it slightly steel gray eyes landed on the seal that marked the document. Red wax stuck securely to the paper and embedded into it was a lightning bolt.

Taking his eyes away from the paper, Akio looked up to be met by two large oak doors. The jounin looked to his left and right, not a soul in sight. Slowly, Akio curled his hand into a fist and lightly knocked on the door. His eyes stayed alert as he continued to look down both sides of the hallway.

"You may enter," an old, but kind voice called.

Akio nodded to himself before pushing one of the large doors and entering, he let his eyes wander around the new area. The Hokage's office was extremely clean; it was nothing like the office back in his village. Akio looked up at the wooden desk that sat in the back of the room near a wide window. Papers were stacked in neat piles and those piles were being added to. The jounin turned his attention to Sarutobi, the _Sandiame_.

Walking forward, Akio came to stand in the center of the room. The jounin bowed his head in respect, "Gomen nasai Hokage-sama for appearing in your presence unannounced," Akio said, "yet I have an urgent letter to give you from the Raikage."

Sarutobi lifted his head up from the papers in front of him and looked at Akio. Even though he couldn't see the man's face, he could hear the slight raise in his voice. The Hokage leaned back and his chair and smiled, "It's alright Akio-san," he said. "You may come closer."

Akio straightened up and walked towards the Hokage's desk. He held his hand out with the document and let Sarutobi take it. Akio let his hand fall to his side, "This was delivered this morning by a hawk," he added.

Sarutobi nodded in understanding as he looked at the Raikage's seal before opening one of his desk's draws and taking out a small knife. Slipping the blade between the seal and the paper, the parchment unrolled itself. Opening it, the Sandiame began to read it. As his eyes trailed down the paper, Sarutobi's eyes became wide. He looked up at Akio again.

"Are you sure this _just_ came today?" he questioned.

Akio nodded defiantly, "Hai Hokage-sama," he answered.

"Did you know anything about this before today?"

"No, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi paused his movements for a moment before nodding; he looked back down at the scroll. His brown eyes ran over the paper a few more times before he took his hands away from it. The Sandiame watched as the scroll curled back up as he leaned back in his chair. What the scroll contained, if allowed, could change things for his village and Kumogakure. Sarutobi let out a deep sigh. This was difficult.

Akio watched the Hokage with attentive eyes; he felt a sense of tension rise in him. In truth, he had not read the letter but the seal on it had told him it was important. If his curiosity had gotten the better of him, maybe the jounin would have looked but he knew his place.

"Akio-san."

The Kumogakure shinobi straightened up, gray eyes met brown. "Hai, Hokage-sama?" Akio questioned coolly.

Intertwining his fingers together, Sarutobi let his elbows lean onto his table. He stared Akio straight in the eyes. "Take a seat," he said nudging his head in the direction where a chair was. "We have a lot to talk about."

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Curtains fluttered slowly as wind came in from an opened window. The Kumogakure's current household was quiet with only the sounds of the morning filling the air. The bright sun filtered through the curtains and touched anything in its path. The shadows of the room moved around slowly as the curtains shifted. On the soft couch, a lone figure sat. Their pale hand rose up as they turned the page of the book they were holding.

Kado's dark blue eyes scanned the page of his novel in a non-caring manner. Letting one of his hands off the book, the teen tilted his body over to the table that was near him and reach out. Feeling his hand run against something hot, Kado grabbed onto it and sat back up straight. Letting his book rest on his lap, the genin brought his cup to his lips and took a sip. He let out a soft sigh as he pulled it away. The taste of ginger tea stayed in his mouth as he licked his lips.

Kado let his eyes wander around the living room as he placed his tea cup back on the table. He was surprised, the house was usually buzzing in the morning. _"Akio-sensei would be telling us to hurry up and eat breakfast, and Tanjiro would be harassing Azami," _Kado thought. _"Yet Azami and Akio-sensei can not be found."_

As if on cue, Kado heard a sound coming from down the hallway. Tilting his head back, he came to see a yawning Tanjiro. The other teen was still in his black boxers with a white T-shirt. Letting his head fall back forward, Kado let his eyes rest on his book. "So, you're finally awake," the blue-eyes teen murmured.

"Yeah, what of it?" Tanjiro grumbled, the genin was always grumpy in the morning. Slowly making his way into the living room, Tanjiro sat down in a chair. He let out a huff of breath as his body sank into the seat. Tanjiro turned his gaze to Kado, "so where is Akio-sensei?" he questioned.

"I'm not sure," Kado answered, "but I think he may have went to see the Hokage." Blue eyes met brown as Kado looked at his teammate. "I saw a messenger hawk flying around this morning."

Tanjiro nodded. "I see," he murmured.

Kado stared at Tanjiro with a raised eyebrow; he leaned back into the couch. "Aren't you going to ask about Azami?" he asked casually.

All Tanjiro did was snort as he crossed his arms. "Who cares? She's probably out seeing that fuzzy eyebrow freak again," he snapped. "She's a foolish girl; she'll only end up hurting herself in the end."

Kado's eyes narrowed slightly as Tanjiro spoke, he didn't know what but, he felt something rise in him. "Tanjiro," Kado paused and took a breath, "she's your teammate, you should watch out for her."

Tanjiro's head swirled as he looked back at Kado, "So? She's your teammate too and she has to learn to watch out for herself," he said. "She has to train more also; our village doesn't need a weak kunoichi. Especially if she's going to be handed off to the-"

A choking sound came from Tanjiro as he felt something wrap around his neck. His frantic brown eyes found themselves staring into glaring blue ones. "Don't you _dare_ talk about Azami-chan as if she was an object," he said lowly. "She deserves more then that and _you_ know it." Kado let go of Tanjiro's throat as he regained his cool, yet he did not take his eyes off his teammate.

Tanjiro coughed slightly as he rubbed his neck, an arrogant smirk was placed on his lips. "What do you care, huh?" he questioned, "in a couple years she won't be your problem." The living room seemed to go silent after Tanjiro spoke. Kado stood there with his eyes narrowed to the ground slightly. He clenched his fist.

"You're pathetic."

Tanjiro eyes widened as he heard Kado's words, his mouth turned to a frown. "What did you say?" he said angrily.

Kado looked at Tanjiro. "You. Are. Pathetic. Must I repeat it?" he said. "You're are pathetic for assuming I think of Azami as a problem, you are pathetic for thinking she isn't strong, and you are pathetic for saying those things."

Tanjiro stood up from the couch and stood chest to chest with Kado. He looked up at the younger genin, "is that so?" he said.

Kado nodded, he did not budge as he felt Tanjiro press his chest closer to his. "Hai," he paused, "and you know exactly why. You know why you're saying these idiotic things."

Again, the living room went silent. Kado and Tanjiro just stared at each other; their mouths held no expression but it was all in their eyes. An ongoing battle that had started a few months after they we placed on a team together, along with Azami. A few months after a certain announcement was made about some clans. Both boys were so focused on each other; they never heard the front door close.

"Hello? Anyone around?"

Taking two quick steps back from Tanjiro, Kado turned his head towards the door. His mouth twitched to a small smile as he saw Azami come into view. Drifting from her face, Kado let his eyes wandered down. In Azami's hand was her boombox, Kado tilted his head back up. "How was training?" he questioned.

Sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, Azami smiled. "It was nice I suppose," she spoke. "I met Lee out in the training field; did you know he sometimes trains through the night?"

"Who cares?!" Tanjiro snapped sharply. "The Konoha shinobi are _still _weak, no matter how many hours they train!" Tanjiro's feet stomped on the wooden floor as he moved across the living room floor to the hallway. He paused a moment to look at Azami before scuffing, "I'm going to my room," he muttered before turning away from the kunoichi and stomping his way down the hall.

Azami cringed as Tanjiro's door shut loudly behind him. She turned her head nervously to Kado; her bottom lip was pushed out slightly. "D-Did I do something wrong?" Azami questioned.

Azami's teammate shook his head. "No," he paused, "you know how Tanjiro is in the morning, always cranky."

"Yeah," Azami murmured softly to herself. "I'm going to go to my room for a little while," she said walking forward. Balancing on her left foot she looked back at Kado, "come get me if you need me, kay?" she spoke.

The only thing Kado did was nod before Azami disappeared from his sight. He stayed standing until he heard the soft clicking of her door closing. Letting out a short sigh, Kado turned and walked over to the couch. Letting his body fall back, Kado landed on the couch and made himself comfortable. Reaching over to the table he picked up his book and opened it. As he flipped towards the page he was on, Kado let his mind wander freely.

The teen closed his eyes, would his team really be ready for the Chuunin Exams? With the way things were going, even the pride of the Hashiwara clan wasn't sure. Things weren't horribly bad but they were strained. _"If only the Raikage had made the announcement after the Chuunin Exams,"_ Kado thought. _"Yet we can't do anything about it, we just have to get past it."_ Kado reopened his eyes; hopefully his team would be able to work around the things that were happened in their separate lives and focus on the present. Letting the complex and fustrating thoughts leave his mind, Kado shifted more into the couch and continued to read his book.

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**Well there's the chapter! I don't know when I'll be able to update again but hopefully it will be very soon. Please leave a review of construtive critism, they make want to work harder to make this fanfic better. That's all for now and see ya next time!**

**xX.(Combat)Flats.Xx**

_Sandiame_- Third Hokage


	6. Kunoichi to Kunoichi

**Hey! Guess what? I'm not DEAD! Hehehe, sorry. Hey it's .Xx, but as you can see I have changed my writer's name back to what it was originally which was Black . So yeah, thought that was a bit important to bring up. Also, I just want to say thank you for everyone who has commented, alerted or favorited my fanfic, really I appreciate it. Anyway I won't yap anymore and let you get on with chapter six of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, got it? Good!**

**Chapter 6**

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The next three days in the Kumogakure household were hectic and fast. With the Chuunin Exams approaching fast, Kado, Tanjiro and Azami trained as much as possible. Azami also felt a strain between Kado and Tanjiro; the two seemed to be more edgy then usual when they were together. _"Maybe they're just stressed," _the kunoichi thought as she sat on the couch in the living room, _"I am also."_ Azami let out a small sigh as she questioned her idea; the boys were hard to read from her standpoint sometimes. Maybe she was wrong.

Azami's dark silver hair twisted as she turned onto her stomach and laid her chin on an arm of a chair. She really wished she could talk to Akio-sensei but he wasn't around the house, _"he always leaves early in the morning now,"_ Azami thought, _"I wonder why."_ Closing her eyes, the kunoichi put her hands on the couch and pushed herself up. Azami slowly moved herself off of her comfy spot and lazily walked out of the living room. Walking to the front door, she slipped on her ninja sandals and opened the front door. Azami turned her head and yelled, "I'm going out!" but she heard no replying, a small huff of breath came from her lips before she opened the front door and walked out.

As Azami walked down the front steps of her current residence, she let her eyes wander to the sky; it was a light gray color. _"Looks like it's going to rain,"_ Azami thought as she felt a tint of sadness and bit of fear fall over her. In some ways, water wasn't her greatest friend. That's why Tanjiro's genjutsus worried the young kunoichi, yet it was a fear she would have to get over. If Azami wanted to prove her worth she would have to cast away her fears.

Wandering down a road and in her own thoughts, Azami put her hands in her pockets and let her eyes look around. People passed by her, some giving a few glances while others completely ignored her. Azami didn't mind though, she had a sense of calmness from the things around her and she was glad for that. Before long, the kunoichi realized that she was walking through grass. She looked up to see the training grounds. Deciding not to question why she had come to the place Azami walked to a tree on the grounds and silently sat under it.

"_What's wrong with me?" _the kunoichi thought as she let out a sigh. For some reason, Azami didn't feel right; she didn't feel like her normal self. Closing her eyes and letting herself fall back, Azami rested her head on the ground. She twisted strands of silver hair between her fingers as she thought deeply, so deeply she didn't hear the footsteps coming towards her. Even though she didn't show it Azami was frustrated, what was she doing wrong?

"Azami, I didn't expect to see you here."

Green eyes opened quickly as the kunoichi recognized the voice, propping herself on her elbows she looked up. "Konnichiwa Tenten-san," Azami greeted smiling as she stared at brunette. "I didn't think you would be here either," she paused, "I thought you, Neji-san, and Lee-san trained later in the morning."

Taking a seat next to Azami, Tenten nodded. "Yeah, but I thought I'd get out here earlier," she said. Reaching into a holister by her side, Tenten pulled out two scrolls. "I needed to do a bit of training on my own for the Chuunin Exams."

Azami nodded in understanding, "I see," she murmured before looking up at the gray-ish sky. Her green eyes seemed to dim for a moment, unconsciously the kunoichi let out a small sigh.

Tenten looked at Azami with curious and slightly worried brown eyes, "is something wrong?" she questioned.

Azami blinked as she turned her head to look at Tenten, she stared at her for a moment before running her fingers through her hair. "I really don't know," Azami spoke quietly, "I just don't feel like myself."

"Is it because of the Exams," Tenten asked as she settled onto her elbows like Azami.

"Maybe," Azami replied, her gaze shifted to the ground for a moment before she looked out over the training field. "Tenten, have you ever felt pressured by something?" she asked.

The brunette kunoichi looked at Azami slightly surprised but quickly recovered. "Well I think we all have, one way or another," she replied. "Why?"

Azami didn't say anything for a moment; to Tenten she seemed to be debating something with herself. Slowly the girl parted her lips, "in my clan, my okaa-san and my nee-san were two of the first kunoichi," she said softly. "In Kumogakure, the women were supposed to stay home and take care of the family, but that started to change over a hundred years ago." A small smile appeared on the fourteen year old's lips, "my okaa-san says that we have come a long way."

"So now you feel pressured about proving yourself?" Tenten questioned making sure she was getting Azami's point.

"I think that's it," the silver-hair kunoichi murmured. "Compared to my okaa-san and nee-san, I feel like I'm nothing." Azami frowned, "and when I'm with Kado-kun and Tanjiro-kun, I feel like I'm always in the back. I feel like I'm pulling them down and I'm nothing but a-" Azami didn't finish her sentence as she felt something touch her head; she lowered her head slightly as she felt the hand ruffled her hair.

"Listen Azami, I'm not going to lie to you," Tenten said as she kept her hand on the girl's head. "You are weak," the kunoichi paused to see Azami's face sadden, "but that's only because you think like that." Slipping her hand off of Azami's head, Tenten closed her eyes, "at a young age I learned that to help others you have to help yourself first, it's just the way life is." Chocolate eyes reopened and Tenten smiled, "don't compare yourself to others, just do the best _you_ can, that should be all anyone could ever ask for."

"But what about Kado and Tanjiro?" Azami questioned. "If I can't even match them how-"

"Your teammates will be there to help you get there Azami, your sensei too," Tenten interrupted her. "Gai-sensei once told us that's why shinobi were placed on squads, to help and learn from each other. You just have to believe in them and believe in yourself."

Azami stayed silent as she let Tenten's words sink into her mind. Closing her eyes she tilted her head back and let out a small breath. Though she didn't show it, the inner turmoil inside herself made Azami want to scream. She did trust Tenten's words but part of her seemed stuck. Reopening her eyes, Azami shook her head and looked at the other kunoichi beside her. Even though she knew her whole heart wasn't in it, Azami smiled, "arigato Tenten-san," she said.

The brunette kunoichi smiled, "no problem that's what friends are for, right?" she said tilting her head. "Also don't be so formal, loosen up a bit," she added. Tenten let her elbows slip from under her and laid her head on the grass, "it's too much of a nice day to be a stiff, I get that enough from Neji-kun," she said chuckling slightly.

Azami looked at Tenten with a questionable look before looking to the sky, her green eyes stared curiously. She could see the sun peaking its way through the gray clouds making everything seem brighter, Azami couldn't help but smile. The kunoichi looked to Tenten to say something, but stopped when she saw the girl's eyes were closed. She couldn't tell weather she was asleep or not but Azami didn't bother as she stopped leaning on her elbows and rested her body on the grass next to her friend. _"Trust in myself?" _she thought questionably for a moment, but soon a smile made its way to her lips; she had decided. Closing her eyes Azami started to breathe in and out softly, a smile still plastered on her lips. In a few minutes the calmness of the day brought her into a peaceful sleep with the words of Tenten's advice easily echoing through her mind.

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**Yeah, another bit of a filler but it's important. Tenten doesn't get enough screentime on Naruto and I think she's an amazing character. Also I think Azami needs a strong female to look up to. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please leave a review. Constructive cristism is always welcome, hopefully I will update this soon and not leave it for like...three months. So till then, byebies!**

** Black **


	7. The Approaching Storm

**Hey it's Black (fanfiction won't let me type my whole username, help?) with the seventh chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus and woot! I updated again today. This chapter reveals a bit of what will be important for the rest of the fanfic and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Diclaimer: Don't own Naruto...sadly.**

_**Chapter 7**_

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Harsh breathing came from Azami's mouth as she narrowed her eyes; what seemed like determination shined in them. Moving her right foot and tilting her toes to the left and her left foot out to her side, the teen lifted her right arm in an arch over her head and kept her left hand by her stomach. Azami nodded as she looked in front of her, what resembled a smile made its way to her face. "Please, again!" the kunoichi said to her teammate. "I can still continue."

Kado, who was standing a ways from Azami nodded in agreement. Rushing forward he sent a punch to the girl's shoulder which she blocked with her left arm. Spinning, Azami brought her left knee up and struck Kado in the thigh making the teen lose his balance and then brought her raised arm down to jab him in the cheek with her elbow. Yet Kado managed to bring his right hand up and grab Azami's elbow before jumping back away from her. Wiping sweat from his forehead, a small smirk appeared on his lips.

In the Hashigawa heir's eyes he could see that something in Azami had changed. It wasn't only her concentration in training, but in her attitude also. The silver-haired kunoichi seemed to be more carefree and not worry about every little thing; also her taijutsu style had become more assertive, and had also begun to show a unique grace and elegance that was hidden under Azami's nervousness. In short, the kunoichi was improving. Focusing his attention back on Azami, Kado saw that the girl was tired, "lets take a break," he said coolly. His teammate's stamina was something she would have to work on though.

Azami rested her hands on her knees and smiled at Kado, she was happy to have him as a sparring partner. She knew he wouldn't go easy on her just because she was his teammate, _"you just have to believe in them,"_ Azami thought thinking of the words a brunette kunoichi said to her days prior. As the teen went to say something to Kado she stopped as she saw her partner turn his head to the backdoor or their current residence. At the same moment she felt a familiar chakra pattern, she turned her head also. Green eyes seemed to sadden in confusion as Azami saw who was standing in the door, "Akio-sensei," she murmured.

The jounin had a tense look on his face as he stared at two of his students. In truth Akio hadn't seen much of his team in the last week for an important reason he knew he would have to reveal. Scratching his fingers through his short spiky hair, Akio looked to the side. "I need you two to come inside," he said.

Both genin looked to each other before looking back at their sensei, they both nodded. Walking up the back porch steps, Azami followed by Kado made their way into the house. As the kunoichi watched her sensei walk into the living room she did the same, but stopped at the door. Taking her eyes off of her sensei she looked to the couch to see Tanjiro sitting there. Azami could see that something wasn't right by his expression and made her way over to her teammate. Raising her hand she went to put it on his shoulder, "Tanjiro-kun are you-"

"-Don't touch me!" Tanjiro snapped, slapping the girl hand away, Azami took a step back. Sure, the Takashima was mean to her but he had never laid a hand on her before. Seeing him do this made the kunoichi worry, she looked to her teacher.

"Akio-sensei? What's going on?"

"You two should sit down," the jounin mumbled, his steel gray eyes watched as Kado took a seat on the couch next to Tanjiro and Azami sat on a chair. Akio crossed his arms, "as you know we're here for the Chuunin Exams," he began, "and that puts a strain on all the villages to show their best genin." Akio closed his eyes, "but as you all should know there is also another strain between Kumogakure and Konohagakure."

"The broken treaty," Kado answered, they had learned of what happened in the Academy. "Nine years ago the two villages had signed a treaty after the war, but the head ninja from Kumogakure broke it by trying to steal the Hyuuga heiress, I believe."

"_Hyuuga…"_ Azami thought to herself.

"Correct," the jounin responded, "what happened back then shouldn't have happened but it did. It cause a lot of grief for the Hyuugas, Konoha and ourselves." Reopening his steel gray eyes, Akio looked at his students, "and now the current Raikage wants to right that wrong."

Azami's eyes widened with realization, "Konoha and Kumo are going to try and sign a new treaty!" she said shocked.

Letting out a sigh Akio nodded, "yes, the Kumo council has already agreed with the Raikage on this," he said. "Yet there is so much he can do from Kumogakure. Both Kages from the villages have to be present when the treaty is signed. A lot of rouge shinobi would try and get their hands on the treaty scroll if it was signed in one village then delivered to the next. We don't need to have one of our own lost because of that."

Blue eyes narrowed slightly, "so that means….."

Akio nodded knowing what Kado was going to say, "hai," he murmured. Putting his shoulder against the doorframe, the jounin looked to Azami. The girl was staring back at him with almost confused eyes, but he knew deep inside that his younger student knew what was going to happen. Closing his eyes once more, Akio let a breath pass through his lips. He grumbled something, but every one in that room heard it loud and clear.

"The Raikage is coming to Konohagakure."

Azami leaned back into the soft chair she was in, she felt as if a thousand bricks were now on her chest. Nervousness was welling up inside the kunoichi and it took every fiber of her being to keep herself from running out of the room. Intertwining her fingers together, Azami closed her eyes. "Will he be staying for the Chuunin Exams?" she asked softly.

"Hai, along with Suna's Kage I think," Akio said. "He wants to see how the future of our village fares in battle."

"Right," the teen said softly as she reopened her eyes and looked at Tanjiro. _"I know how you feel,"_ Azami thought. Though she and Tanjiro didn't fit, they were in the same boat. Both knew there was another reason why the Raikage was coming to Konoha.

The room seemed to go quiet for a moment as the shinobi just sat there. Yet soon Kado opened his mouth, "when will he be coming?" the genin asked.

Akio stopped leaning against the doorframe, "probably the day of the Chuunin Festival, two days before the actual Exams." The jounin looked to the ceiling, "another genin team may be coming with him as well." Akio looked back at his students as he saw their heads lift up, "I don't know who it is," he said reading the looks on their faces.

Azami let out a soft sigh as she freed her fingers from each other; slowly the girl got up from her chair and looked at her teacher. "Akio-sensei, is it alright if I go to my room for now?" she questioned.

The gray-eyed man looked at his student's face, he was surprised that she was retaining a calm look. Slowly he nodded and moved out of the doorway, "sure," he answered gruffly.

Nodding to Akio, Azami proceeded to walk out of the room but stopped when she got to the doorframe. Placing a hand on it she looked back at her teammates, "I know we can make it, even with the Raikage watching us," she spoke quietly. She didn't bother to look as her teammates and sensei gave her a surprised glance as they heard her. Azami just continued to walk down the hall and to her room. A small click was her as she opened the door and another two were heard as the kunoichi closed and locked the door.

…Anyone who knew Azami well could tell the girl had a lot to think about…

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**Well there's the chapter and it's somewhat suspensfulness. Yeah, I'm changin up the orginal naruto plotline and I'm sorry for those who like to stick with the plot but I'll try to make this fit in as best as it can. Umm, Please review because constructive critism or commments are very nice. Also your opinions matter, I WANT to know what you think of this fanfic and Azami and how I can improve. Well, that's it and hopefully I'll be updating soon, tata for now!**

**Black **


	8. A Moonlight Tango

**Woot! Vacation is love, ain't it? Well here's the eighth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus and Lee's in this chapter! I would like to thank:**

**--My Reviewers: Book of Belior (Anno.), RemedyX, Kendansa, Leite Destiny, Elemental Dragon Swordsman and nightofthefullmoon (Anno.) **

**--My Favoriters: Elemental Dragon Swordsman, Sybil Corvax, Twistergirl14, XxXLoveless-NinjaXxX and nicsnort **

**--My Alerters: Hinata11235, Leite Density, SaphirePhoenix, XxXLoveless-NinjaXxX, and nicsnort **

**And anyone who bothered reading my fanfic, you all are the best, thankyou!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, got it? Got it? Good!**

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_**Chapter 8**_

The sound of crickets echoed through the air as night set in over Konoha. Hues of blue and black painted a calm but dark portrait in the sky. Around the village people were heading home to spend a nice and quiet evening with their families which made the streets look like a ghost town. Yet still, it was just another peaceful night in Konoha.

Green eyes stared up at a white ceiling blankly as Azami laid on her bed. Even though her body felt comfortable, her mind was not at rest. Ever since the announcement about the Raikage, the kunoichi had locked herself in her room. Her thoughts had become a jumble wreck of anxiousness. In truth, Azami didn't know what to think even though she had said to her teammates they would be fine, that _she _would be fine. Letting out a sigh, the teen moved onto her right side and faced her window.

"_Just because Raikage-sama is coming doesn't mean I should be nervous,"_ Azami thought. _"I-I just have to trust myself, right?"_ Groaning, the kunoichi closed her eyes, easier said then done. Listening to the sounds around her, Azami noticed the only thing she could hear was the chirping of insects. Green eyes reopened, "I need to get out of here," Azami murmured softly. Slowly rolling of her bed, the kunoichi ran her fingers through her dark silver hair. Azami walked over to the bureau on the other side of the room and picked up the silver boom box and haitai-ate that were placed on it. After slipping on her ninja sandals that were on the side of her bed, the teen made her way over to her bedroom window and pushed it up. She would be taking a different root out tonight.

Moving one foot and then another through the window, Azami slipped out easily and let herself fall. Her landing was soft as she reached the ground; she held her boom box tightly in her hand and her haitai-ate was now around her neck. Walking through the grass to the road, Azami looked back at the house. She knew someone would probably notice her absent sooner or later. Turning her head, Azami made her way down the street. Her clothes loosely billowed in the wind and the girl crossed her arms as best as she could. Moving her head sharply to the right, she tossed her silver hair over her shoulder.

The walk to the training grounds was a quiet one for Azami, almost eerie. Yet as soon as her toes could again feel grass gently brushing against them and training dummies came into view, the girl felt better. Making her way to the middle of the training field, a familiar sight caught Azami's gaze, she couldn't help but stop and smile. The girl just stood there for a moment, the sound of muscle hitting wood filled her ears. Soon Azami started to walk again, her emerald eye focused on the person she was moving to.

Rock Lee brought his leg up and kicked the tree he was using as a training post for the umpteenth. Large splints could be seen clearly all over the bark, the tree looked like it had been used more then once. "Hundred thirty-three. Hundred thirty-four, hundred thirty-five," Lee counted out loud with vigor; he lived for this kind of training. Though as the sound of footsteps became clearer in his ears, the genin stopped in mid-kick and turned his head. He grinned happily as he let his leg come back to the ground. "Aza-chan! What are you doing here?" Lee asked curiously.

Azami lifted her boom box up, "same thing as you Lee-san," she spoke softly, her voice wavered slightly. Looking to the side, the kunoichi didn't notice a worried look come over Rock Lee's face. He took a step forward.

"Aza-chan? Is something wrong?" the Taijutsu user asked. "You seem a bit depressed."

Tilting her head up, Azami looked at Lee and felt her heart drop. Just the pure look of concern on his face made her feel bad. A small smile came to her lips, even if she didn't feel this way she hated the sad expression on the other genin's face. "I'll be alright," Azami spoke softly, "I just got a lot of my mind right now, and I think a bit of training will help." Silver hair fell over the kunoichi's shoulder, "that's if you don't mind me here and a bit of music also," she added.

Rock Lee shook his hands, "that's quite alright," he said happily, "maybe your music will make the power of youth flow more powerful through me!"

A chime of a laugh came from Azami's lips, she felt like a strip of light had maybe broke through her dreary cloud. "Well, I hope it does then," she said sweetly as she placed her boom box on the ground. Leaning down, the girl hit the play button and started pressing through the songs. She listened to the beginning of all of them until she found one she particularly wanted and enjoyed. Laying her palms on the grass, Azami pushed herself up as the melody started floating through the air.

The song had a fast beat and was happy and light, as it got louder Rock Lee found himself shifting from his left foot to his right with the beat. The genin started to aim his kicks at the tree again keeping in beat with the music. The force he was putting into it could clearing be seen by the damage on the tree. Soon Lee was just throwing random punches and kicks with such energy, it seemed like he had just begun his training. Looking back slightly, Rock Lee caught sight of Azami, his dark eyes widened in interest.

Silver hair floated through the air as the kunoichi did a back flip. As soon as Azami felt her left foot touch the ground, she kept her right foot in the air and spun around bringing her foot in and out as she kicked. Anyone could tell the attacks didn't have much force in them, but they were precise. Azami pulled her left elbow back as if she was hitting someone and then brought her right leg the same way to knee her 'opponent.' _"Just breath," _Azami thought, _"this is the calm you want, the calm you __**need**__." _Green eyes closed and the kunoichi let her right leg drop and brought up her left leg and kicked out. Yet they soon reopened as Azami felt something stop her, she had a puzzle look on her face.

Rock Lee loosened his grip on Azami's foot and then took a few large steps away from her. The genin spread his legs out slight before moving his left hand in front of him and putting his right hand behind his back. A smile came across Lee's face and the confusion left Azami's eyes. Shyly the girl shifted her right foot forward and her left foot back, leaning forward Azami lifted her right hand into the air behind her and kept her left hand in front of her. She gave a small nod.

"Alright."

Both genin rushed towards each other with great speed. Rock Lee threw a punch to Azami's cheek, but the girl moved her head to the side and brought her own fist up. Lee caught the kunoichi's fist before jumping back and swinging a kick which hit Azami in the side. The girl let out a small gasp as she stumbled for a moment but quickly regained her footing. Azami jumped into the air and spun her legs out causing Lee to back up and then as she touched back down to the ground, Azami launched forward and twisted her body slightly elbowing the Taijutsu user in the chest. For that one moment, both genins' eyes met and Azami sweared she felt her heart leap.

As the two kept fighting, their punches and kicks seemed to have a new energy and a grace. It was like they were doing their own dance, a powerful tango some might say. Azami felt light on her feet as she traded blows with Lee and a confidence she had never felt before. Just the look in the Taijutsu user's eyes made her want to push herself to the extent of her power. She also hoped Lee felt the same about her.

Spinning her body, Azami swung her arm at Rock Lee but he blocked it with his own air. The shock of bone hitting bone made both genins' bodies tremble but they stayed in the position. Lee smiled down at Azami as the girl tilted her head back to see him; a small smile graced her lips. Though it soon disappeared as emerald eyes seemed to haze and Azami's body started to slack. Rock Lee quickly moved and wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Azami-chan, are you alright?" Lee asked worriedly as he shook the girl slightly. "Please, you must wake up."

Green eyes blinked confusedly as Azami looked up at Lee, she felt her cheeks heat up as she realized she had her head on his chest. "I-I'm fine," the girl stuttered, "j-just lost my footing."

Lee just nodded, moving one of his hands he brushed a few strands of hair out of Azami's face. "Your taijutsu is very good Aza-chan," he complemented.

"Thankyou, but not as developed as yours Lee-san," Azami murmured softly. "My stamina isn't up to par and my hits aren't that strong." Green eyes looked towards the night sky, "I still have a ways…to…-"

Dark eyes glanced down at Azami as Rock Lee noticed her words starting to slur slightly. The girl's eyelashes fluttered as her eyes closed and she rested her head fully on Lee's chest. Her chest rose steadily as her breathing became even. Lee stared down at Azami for a few moments as she slept, _"she must have been through a lot today,"_ he thought to himself. Smiling, the taijutsu user slipped his hands under Azami's body and lifted her up. Walking over to where the boom box laid, Lee kneeled down slightly and hit 'stop' before picking the electronic up. Making sure Azami was balanced in his grip as he held the boom box the genin rose up again.

Rays from the pale moon danced across the training field as Rock Lee began to walk. Looking down at Azami he watched her dark hair as it seemed to glitter, a serene expression was on her face. This brought a wide smile to Lee's face, he also felt his heart speed up but he didn't know why. "Sweet dreams, Aza-chan," Rock Lee murmured softly as he proceeded to take her home.

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**Well there's the chapter, kind of sweet, ne? I hope you all have enjoyed it! Please review because I want to know what you think, other people's opinions matter! That is all for now and till next time!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx **


	9. A New Morning

**Hey! xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here with the nineth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus. I will admit this chapter may be a bit bored, but it will hopefully pick up again in chapter ten. Either way right now I would like to thank everyone who had reviewed chapter eight or just added my fanfic to favorites:**

**--Reviewers: Leite Destiny and Sybil Corvax**

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**THANKYOU! Now on to the fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, kays?**

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_**Chapter 9**_

Warmth and something soft was all that filled Azami's senses as she slept peacefully. Rays of light shined through a green curtain shined onto the girl's face making her shut her eyelids tight before turning away from the sun. The kunoichi let out a small sigh as her eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes. As soon as she did, Azami shot up from bed noticing something very quickly. She turned her head left and right, this wasn't her room.

"_Where am I?"_ Azami thought as she climbed out of bed and slowly started to make her way over to a door. Turning the knob the girl peered out into a long hallway, she stay like that for a few moments before actually steeping out onto a wooden floor. Placing a hand against the wall, Azami made her way down the hall. As she did the kunoichi could feel her stomach grumble, _"guess I'm hungry,"_ she mused. Coming to an open space, Azami put her hand on a doorframe and peeked in. Green eyes widened slightly as the kunoichi discovered it was a kitchen.

"Ah! Azami-chan, I see you're awake."

Turning her head, Azami looked at the person near the fridge. "Umm, ohayo Ju-san," the girl murmured suddenly realizing where she was, this was Lee's house. Coming fully into the doorway, the teen twiddled her fingers, her eyes shifted side to side. "Anno…" Azami mumbled.

Ju, sensing the kunoichi's nervousness smiled and walked over to Azami. Placing a hand on the girl's head, she ruffled her hair. "Lee didn't know where you were staying so he brought you back here and put you in the guest room," she explained.

"Oh," Azami spoke in understanding; the girl bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry if I caused any problems, I didn't know why I just fell asleep like that," she said.

A small huff of breath came from Ju as she just waved a hand, "don't worry about it," she spoke as she walked to a cabinet. "Lee said that you probably had a lot to deal with yesterday by the way you just collapsed. He was worried."

Green eyes widen before glancing down at the black and white tiled floor. "R-Really?" Azami said softly, the girl felt her heart starting to pump a little faster. For some reason, the thought of Lee worrying about her made her happy, not because she was worry him but because he actually cared. A shy smile graced Azami's lips as she ran her fingers through her dark silver hair.

A mused look filled dark brown eyes as Ju watched Azami's reaction, she couldn't help but chuckling slightly. _"No wonder Lee likes to be around her,_" she thought. _"She's a cute one."_ Turning back, Ju opened the cabinet she was at and peered in. "Azami-chan, you staying for breakfast?" the woman questioned over her shoulder.

Looking up, green eyes blinked in surprise as Azami tilted her head. "Sure," she replied smiling. "May I ask what we're having?"

Leaning back, Ju pulled out a box and shook it slightly. A big grin appeared on her face, "pancakes!" she said cheerily. Closing the cabinet, Ju placed the box on the counter before looking back at Azami. "Hey, would you mind waking Lee?" she questioned, "I know he has training this morning and if he doesn't get there on time he'll make himself do a thousand push-ups or something along those lines." A small laugh came from Ju, "and I would like to _actually_ have my son home before eight today," she added.

Azami laughed along with Ju before nodding, being around the older woman gave her a familiar feeling. "Sure I don't mind," she said softly.

"Good!" Ju said as she got a bowl from another cabinet. "His room is two doors down from the one you were in," she said. "Though you may have to be a bit harsh trying to wake him up."

A confused look appeared in Azami's eyes but only for a moment, nodding again the girl took a step back and walked back down the hall. Her steps were long and barely made a sound as she walked with her hands behind her back. Passing the guest room, Azami continued to walk until she got to the second door from hers. Lifting a hand up, the kunoichi unsteadily tapped on the door. "Lee-san? Are you awake?" Azami questioned putting her ear against the door. Hearing no reply, the teen straightened up before turning the knob to the door and walking in.

The room was a good size and was painted a dark green with a tan carpet; another door was off to the side. A bureau sat in a corner and was a sleek, dark brown. A few things littered across the top of it, but not much. The walls were pretty plain; the only thing that was hook onto it was a picture frame that hung over a twin sized bed which a huge lump laid wrapped in green covers. Stepping quietly, Azami made her way over to the bed and stopped by the side. "Lee-san? It's time to wake up," the girl spoke as she started to pull the covers off.

The sight before her made Azami want to 'awe' but the heating up of her cheeks blocked the thought from the girl's mind. Curled up slightly, Rock Lee laid in his bed looking quite comfortable in only his boxers. His left arm was under head while his arm was on his side, his mouth was agape slightly and soft snoring could be heard. Shaking her head slightly, Azami began to shake Lee, "Lee-san you have to wake up," she repeated. A small pout appeared on the kunoichi's face as the taijutsu user turned away from her and mumbled something in his sleep.

"_Now I see what Ju-san means,"_ Azami thought to herself as she continued to shake Lee, but to no avail. Biting her bottom lip, the teen pondered for a moment before getting an idea. Pinching her nose, the girl took a breath through her mouth and did a fake sneeze. As soon as she did, dark eyes opened and green covers were thrown halfway off the bed. Azami stared at Lee blinking as he did the same. Silence enveloped the room.

"Bless you."

Light laughter filled the room for a moment before Azami smiled, "arigatou," she said softly. The teen crossed her arms before glancing down at the ground, "Ju-san asked me to wake you up," she explained. "She said you have training this morning and didn't want you to be late."

"Oh yes," Lee said nodding as he got out of bed, the shinobi stretched his arms into the air. "Thankyou Aza-chan," he added grinning at the girl. The grin slowly faded away though as Lee noticed Azami lower her head more and start to twiddle her fingers. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Green eyed widened slightly and Azami glanced up at Lee, "o-oh yes, it's just that umm," she mumbled, a tint of red could be seen on her cheeks. "It's just that you're only wearing-," she squeaked.

Lee looked at himself before finally getting what Azami was saying, he was only in boxers. "Oh I am sorry Aza-chan," he apologized; a slight blush appeared on his face as well. Quickly walking over to his closet, the teen opened it to reveal a closet of green jumpsuits. Grabbing one off a hanger, Lee walked over to the second door in his room and opened it. "Please give me a moment," Rock Lee said to Azami before closing the door, after a few seconds that sound of shower water running could be heard.

A sigh of relief came from Azami as she sat down on Lee's bed; the girl rubbed her cheeks in what seemed like nervousness. _"What's wrong with me?"_ the girl thought to herself as she placed her elbows on her knees. Azami could feel her heart pumping faster then usual, she knew the situation between her and Lee was a bit awkward, but it shouldn't have made her feel the way she did now. Letting out a groan, Azami let her body fall back and laid down on the bed. Turning slightly, her fingers curled around the green blanket that was hanging off the side of the bed and Azami bought it close to her. The scent that the fabric gave off made her smile slightly, "though the feeling isn't _that_ bad," Azami murmured.

For a few minutes, Azami just laid on the bed unmoving. The girl felt like she was going to fall asleep again, but as soon as she heard the clicking of a door opening the girl's eyes became alert. Pushing herself up from the bed, Azami looked to the bathroom door to see Lee walk out.

"Sorry about that Aza-chan," the shinobi said sheepishly as he walked over to the bureau in a corner of the room. Opening one of the drawers, Lee pulled out a small roll bandages.

Azami smiled, "it's alright," she said softly. "Besides it's your house not mine." As Lee walked over to her, Azami held out her hand. Getting what she wanted, Lee placed the bandage wrap in her hand as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "Did you sleep well?" Azami asked as she unrolled the bandage and started to wrap it around Lee's extended arm.

The taijutsu user smiled, "yes I did," he answered back. "What about you Aza-chan? When you had fallen asleep at the training field, you looked exhausted."

Azami paused her bandaging for a moment and a small frown formed on her lips, the memories of the day before floated into her mind. "I guess I was," she murmured softly before she continued to wrap the bandage. Her fingers danced lightly on Lee's arm with each circle she did.

Dark eyes watched Azami with a worried expression. Taking his hand away from the kunoichi, Rock Lee placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. The taijutsu user tilted his head to the side as green eyes looked up at him. "Aza-chan, what's wrong?" he questioned, "You're not your usual youthful self."

Azami bit down on her lower lip as Lee looked at her, the girl opened her mouth to say she was alright but found herself unable to do it. Azami couldn't lie to him, for some reason she couldn't. _"He's been truthful to me so far,"_ the kunoichi thought. _"So I should be the same, right?" _Turning her focus back to Lee, Azami smiled slightly. "The thing is there's someone important from my village coming to watch the Chuunin Exams and we just got the news yesterday," she murmured quickly, a hint on anxiousness could be detected to the girl's voice. "And things are already stressed between my team and this I'm afraid may make things worse," Azami added, "I'm afraid."

"Aza-chan do not worry about such things," Rock Lee cooed grinning. "You should be overjoyed that someone from your village is coming a long way to see your team." The teen rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't on Azami's shoulder, "I am certain that you, Kado and Tanjiro will be able to overcome your differences and show you youthfulness in the Chuunin Exams!"

"_If only you knew Lee-san, if only you knew,"_ Azami thought to herself, she glanced down at the carpet. "What if we don't though?" she questioned, "We'll be down and out before we even begin!" Lifting a hand, Azami ran her fingers through her hair as she closed her eyes, "and it will be my entire fault..."

"What do you mean?"

"_Shoot!"_ Azami thought as she reopened her eyes, she had slipped up slightly. Not looking up at Lee, the girl let out a sigh. "I-It's not Lee-san, really."

"You do not have to call me Lee-san."

Now it was Azami's turn to be confused, tilting her head up she looked at Rock Lee. "Huh?" she questioned.

A sparkle of white came from Lee's teeth as he smiled. "I said you don't have to call me Lee-san," he repeated. "We're friends Aza-chan, you don't have to be so formal." Even though the two were on a different subject, Lee had notice Azami's stuttering when she had spoke about the situation her team was going through being 'her fault.' He had a questionable look in his eyes, _"maybe this is not the time to ask,"_ he thought. _"I shall try again another time." _Standing up from the bed, Lee looked down at Azami. "Why don't we finish bandaging in the kitchen?" he suggested. "I smell pancakes."

At that moment a small grumble came from Azami's stomach, the girl turned her head sheepishly. "Alright," she agreed, "I'm starving and we don't want you to be late for training either." Standing up with the bandages still in her hand, Azami proceeded to walk over to the door.

"Aza-chan?"

Placing a hand on the doorknob, Azami turned back to look at the green cladded-ninja. "Hai Lee-kun?" she spoke, the new form of the boy's name made the kunoichi smile slightly.

Giving a thumbs up, Rock Lee grinned widely. "Just trust in the youthfulness and power of you and your teammates," he said. "I'm sure you'll prevail."

"_Gai-sensei once told us that's why shinobi were placed on squads, to help and learn from each other. You just have to believe in them and believe in yourself."_

Staring at Lee for a few more moments, Azami finally smiled and nodded. "Alright," she said softly. "I'll try."

Rock Lee watched closely Azami as she turned her head and walked out of his room. _"What else is she hiding?"_ the shinobi thought to himself. Even though Lee didn't ask if someone said _everything_ is alright, he knew when they were lying or not. Though as curious as Lee was, he would wait till Azami was more comfortable in telling him the whole story. _"I just have to trust her,"_ he thought smiling. With that, Rock Lee walked out of his room and down the hallway to the kitchen where his mother and Azami waited to have a nice pancake breakfast.

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**Well, that's it for this chapter. Boring I know, but there's a bit of a Azami/Lee so it makes it alright, right? Anyways, please review my fanfic I like constructive cristism, it makes me want to improve my writing! So see you next chapter, tata for now!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	10. Konoha vs Kumo

**Hey! It's xXAkatsuki Black Rose Xx posting the tenth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus in the whee hours of the morning. Thankfully, I don't have school tommorrow so I was able to work on this! Well to get on with it, I'd like to thank my new reviewers/alerts/favoriters/ect. (You all get the point, right?)**

**--Reviewers: Dirge of Chaos**

**--Alerters: PurpleHaze09**

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**Thankyou and thankyou to any who've reviewed/alerted/favorited already! Now on to the fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I claim no rights on Naruto, kay?**

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_**Chapter 10**_

Breakfast went by fast for Azami, but she did enjoy the feeling of being around Lee and his mother. Though, instead of heading straight out the door to walk with Lee to his training, the kunoichi found herself standing in a bedroom with clothes flying pass her from an open closet. Shifting her weight onto her left foot, Azami peeked into the closet. "You don't have to do this," she said softly. "I'm fine really."

"No, no, no!" a voice said from the closet. "It's hot out today and besides, you slept in your clothes last night when Lee brought you here." Coming out of the closet, Ju smiled as she patted a bundle that was in her hands. "Found it," she said cheerfully before tossing it to Azami who caught it with ease. "You look about my side when I was young, so I'm pretty sure it will fit," Ju added before pointing a finger to a door. "You can go change in there."

Green eyes looked down at the bundle in curiosity before Azami walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Placing the bundle on the sink, she pulled the blue ribbon that was tied around it and opened the wrapping. "Is she sure I can borrow this?" Azami thought as she began to undress from her Kumogakure wear. Folding her clothes up the kunoichi slipped on the clothes Ju gave her, the woman's words about her being her size were right. Putting her clothes in the wrapping, Azami walked out of the bathroom to see Ju sitting on her bed. "Does it look alright?" she asked.

Looking to the teen, Ju smiled widely, "it looks lovely," she said as she examined the outfit she had worn in her younger years. It was simple, but anyone would tell it was made with care. She wore a white shirt with long sleeves and over it was what seemed like a blue, sleeveless kimono that came above her knees with a design of a white dragon on the back. She also wore white pants and a white sash around her waist to keep the kimono together. "Blue is definitely your color," Ju added.

Smiling, Azami bowed her head, "arigato," she said gratefully before straightening back up. "Well I guess I should go now," she said. "I don't want to make Lee late." With that the teen bowed her head again before retreating.

Hearing the door to his mother's room opened, Lee tilted his head up to see Azami. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it as the girl grabbed his hand and started tugging him along.

"Come on," Azami spoke not looking at Lee as she led him down the hall and out the door of his house. The girl could feel the heat in her cheeks, why she had grabbed Lee's hand she didn't know, she could have just told him to follow her. Yet it was just an impulse. Shaking her head, Azami slowly let go of Lee's hand as they reached the main road and turned around, she started to walk backwards. "Hey Lee-kun?" she said.

"Hmm?" the taijutsu answered back giving the girl his attention.

Azami looked to the side slightly. "You know when Gai-sensei said that he wouldn't mind me training with you guys?" the girl spoke, "do you think that offer is still valid?"

A grin made its way to Lee's face and he nodded," of course Aza-chan!" he said excitedly. "We would be most happy to have you as a sparring partner!"

Smiling, Azami turned her body so she was walking straight, she had a feeling she was going to do something clumsy and bump into someone or worse. "Great," the girl said looking at Lee who was now walking beside her. "I already know a bit of Kado's and Tanjiro's style and I think it would be good to get a taste of something different."

Rock Lee nodded, "agreed," he replied. "It will also prove worthwhile to me, since I only got to see some of your techniques from close-up."

Azami smiled remembering the night before when she and Lee had a playful bout. She had to admit for once time she actually felt comfortable fighting. Green eyes glanced up as Azami head the rustling of trees; they had made it to the training grounds. Looking out the girl could see three figures waiting near one of the may trees. The girl waved her hand about to say something, but she was beat to it.

"NEJI, TENTEN, GAI-SENSEI, OHAYO!"

Tenten winced slightly as she heard the voice of her teammate, but turned her head anyways. She smiled, "hey Lee!" she greeted, "hello to you too Azami-chan!"

"Hello," Azami called back as she quickened her pace as she walked down to where the weapon mistress was. Stopping, she looked at Neji who was standing against a tree. "Neji-san, how are you this morning?" she asked.

The Hyuuga only looked at Azami for a few moments before staring forward. "Fine," he said crisply.

The Kumogakure kunoichi cringed slightly at Neji's words, but continued to smile nonetheless. Turning her head, Azami saw Lee hugging Gai and both males were crying. She tilted her head to the side for a moment before looking back at Tenten, "are they alright?" she asked worriedly.

Tenten just waved a hand, "yeah they're fine," she said. "They always do that."

"Every morning?" Azami asked. The worry that had been in her voice was placed with confusion.

Tenten sighed, "Every single morning," she said blankly.

Azami giggled slightly at the way Tenten replied, the team was odd in a way but always managed to make her smile.

"Oi! Gai-sensei, Azami wishes to train with us today!" Lee said bringing everyone out of their individual thoughts.

"That's most excellent!" Gai said grinning, sparkle and all. Looking at Azami the man placed a hand on the girl's head and ruffled her hair gently. "Then it seems that we'll be doing one-on-one battle training!" he announced, "Is that alright with you Azami?"

Smiling back, the kunoichi nodded. "Of course," Azami said, the girl was use to uneven numbers and one-on-one could help her focus on her techniques and what needed to be fixed. "I do have a request though," Azami added. "If it's allowed, that is."

"Of course youthful flower!" Gai replied, "What is it?"

Green eyed landed on the Hyuuga leaning against the tree. "I would like to spar with Neji."

Pale eyes blinked and Neji turned his head towards Azami, what seemed like an arrogant smirk crossed his lips. "If I do that then I'll be giving away my fighting style," he explained. "You could use that against me in the Chuunin Exams."

"Well, if it comes to that the outcome of that battle would be based on will," Azami retorted back; even though her voice remained gentle anyone could sense a slight edge to her words. "Besides, you'll be seeing my style as well."

Neji narrowed his eyes slightly before closing them, the Hyuuga crossed his arms. "A battle's outcome doesn't depend on will it depends on faith," he stated coolly. "Yet very well." Walking from under the tree he was leaning on, Neji moved out into the opened and faced Azami.

"Arigato," the kunoichi said bowing her head in the Hyuuga's direction. The girl walked out and stood a good distance away from him. She watched as Neji got into his own fighting stance before she did the same. Azami moved her left leg back and her right leg forward and twisted her toes to the inside, she held her left hand out in front of her like Neji did and lifted her right hand into the air and over her head.

"_Hmm, where have I've seen that stance before?"_ Gai thought as he watched the two genin. The man knew Neji's stance very well, but Azami's seemed slightly familiar but he couldn't remember from where. Shaking his head, the jounin focused back at the task at hand. Gai glanced over to Tenten and Rock Lee who were standing on the sidelines, before look back at Azami and Neji again. "This will be a one-on-one ten minute match!" Gai explained, "Neji versus Azami!"

Hearing their names and the terms of the fight, both teens nodded in understanding. The world around them seemed to go quiet.

"Begin!"

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**Yep, a bit of a cliffy! Weather Azami will actually win I really don't know, but eh! Guess you got to think! Hmm, comments and constructive cristism is greatly appreciated, also any ideas to the fanfic would be helpful also. I'm not saying I'm running out of ideas, but incase I do I would like to have backup plans, so please...ideas are asked for! That is all for now and till next time!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	11. Spark of Inner Fire and Promise

**Hey everyone! xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here with the eleventh chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus. I had done this chapter last week but I wanted to finish chapter twelev before I posted this because I have a feeling this week may get a little hetic. ANYWHO I would like to thank...**

**--Reviewers: EchoesXGrace **

**--Favoriters: argracie, .Kyori**

**THANKYOU!!! Now onto the fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, kay? Good!**

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_**Chapter 11**_

As soon as Gai said to begin, Azami felt herself being thrown back by a great force. The girl let out a gasp as she hit the ground with a loud bang and rolled onto her side. Green eyes remained wide as she stared into the Byakugan. Clenching her teeth, Azami slowly made her way to her feet and looked to Neji.

A smug look was on Hyuuga's face as he watched Azami rise from the blow he had given her. "Is that all?" he questioned.

"Not the half of it," Azami retorted as she rushed at the Hyuuga. She looked like she was aiming for a straight forward punch, but instead the kunoichi ducked under Neji's arms. She twisted her body to the right before lifting up her left leg and aiming a powerful kick at the Hyuuga's side.

"Too slow," Neji snapped as he blocked Azami's kick with his hand. Turning, he started aiming opened palm hits but Azami used her own arms to keep Neji's hands as far as way from her body as possible.

From the sidelines Tenten watched the two fight with a surprised look. "Neji looks like he means business," she said before turning her head to Lee. "Don't you think?"

Rock Lee looked to his teammate for a moment before looking back at the fight. The way Azami and Neji were exchanging blows did look a bit intense for a sparring match. "Yeah," he said; the male felt a bit of worry well up inside him.

Green eyes widened as Neji made a blow to the middle of Azami's chest, but the girl recovered quickly and gave Neji a quick punch to the cheek making him back up. At the same time, the kunoichi jumped back as well. Taking deep breath, the girl went to send chakra to her arms yet stopped. _"What the,"_ Azami thought as the familiar tingling of chakra in her fingers wasn't present, her eyes narrowed. _"Byakugan, right."_

"If you were paying attention," Neji said coolly as he stood a ways away from Azami, "you would have noticed that I had blocked the chakra points in your lower arms."

Azami looked into Neji's eyes, even though he didn't say it she had an idea what he was thinking. _'Pathetic.' _Silver hair casted a shadow over the girl's face, _"What's the point?" _she thought.

…_Fight…_

Green eyes widened as Azami heard a voice in her head. _"What?"_ her mind echoed in confusion.

_You know what you're good at….so fight._

Silence seemed to overtake the training field as Neji looked at Azami whose head was still down. _"Why did I even agree to fight her,"_ he thought. _"She shows no potential, this battle would already be determined even __**without**__fate."_ The Hyuuga scoffed as he moved a step forward.

"It's fine."

Pearl colored widen slightly, before narrowing. "What?" Neji said.

Lifting her head back up, Azami smiled. "It's fine, not being able to use chakra in my arms right now," She repeated, "It's fine because…" At that moment a gust of wind swept through the air and the kunoichi was standing in front of a stunned Neji. "Foot work is more my style."

Lee's and Tenten's eyes widened as Azami delivered a hard but graceful, chakra-powered kick under Neji's neck which sent him flying upwards. If anyone had looked closer they would have seen a small spark come from where Neji's chin and Azami's foot had connected. As the Hyuuga came back down, he managed to land on his feet, but anyone could tell he may have been a bit shaken. At the same time, Azami got into the fighting stance she was in before, but this time her arms were crossed in an 'X' shape in front of her with her left palm opened.

Gai watched with realization in his eyes, _"That's why her stance looked so familiar,"_ he thought. "It's Hayaihane."

"Gai-sensei?" Lee said taking his glued eyes away from the spar match. He had a curious look on his face.

The jounin looked down at Lee and Tenten; they were both looking at him. Smiling, he looked back to the match. "Hayaihane is a taijutsu style much like yours Lee," he explained, "except it focuses on wearing out the opponent's muscles with quick kicks instead of trying to break bones." Gai watched Neji fight off Azami with his gentle palm while the girl blocked with her arms and sent speedy kicks at him. "It's not as powerful as the Gouken, but it's very useful."

"Ah," Lee said in understanding before looking back at the match, a bright grin was on his face. The way Azami fought with her taijutsu reminded him of his own. They both fought with a certain youthfulness he hadn't seen in many, in a way he felt connected to her. "Come on Aza-chan," he shouted. "You too Neji!" he added a moment later, after all the Hyuuga was still his teammate.

A smile plastered itself on Azami's lips as she heard his words of encouragement. Pushing forward, she swung her right leg up and gave Neji a kick to the chest. Yet as soon as the kick landed, the Hyuuga grabbed her leg pulled to the left. Green eyes widened as Azami lost her balanced and landed hard on her back making the girl groan slightly. Though the kunoichi forgot about the pain quickly as she saw two hands shoot towards her, reacting fast Azami grabbed Neji by both wrists and held on tight.

That's when Gai's voice rang out. "Alright you two time is up!" he said, "That was a most excellent fight, I'm very impressed!"

A sigh of relief came from Azami's lips as she loosened her grip on Neji's wrist and watched him straighten up. Getting off from her back the girl watched the Hyuuga start to stalk off towards his teammates. Azami bit down on her lower lip.

"_The broken treaty," Kado answered, they had learned of what happened in the Academy. "Nine years ago the two villages had signed a treaty after the war, but the head ninja from Kumogakure broke it by trying to steal the Hyuuga heiress, I believe."_

"_Hyuuga…"__ Azami thought to herself._

"_Correct," the jounin responded, "what happened back then shouldn't have happened but it did. It caused a lot of grief for the Hyuugas, Konoha and ourselves."_

"Hey Neji-san?"

Stopping for a moment, the male genin looked back at Azami as she got off the ground and walked over to him. Expressionless eyes gazed down at her, "What," Neji said.

"I'm sorry."

Neji blinked in confusion at Azami's apology. "Your hits didn't hurt," he said blankly.

Azami shook her head. "Not the fight," she paused, "what happened between the Hyuugas and Kumogakure." The girl glanced down at the ground missing the glare Neji was giving her, "By the way you acted the first day you met me I could tell you weren't fond of me and I didn't know why," Azami spoke, "but now I do and I apologize for my ignorance about not realizing it before." Tilting her head up Azami looked at Neji, "I know there's still ill blood, but could we try being friends?" Azami's face seemed to brighten as she smiled, "There's a lot I can learn from you Neji-san and maybe, you can learn from me." Pearl eyes stared into pleading green ones, "So please, I'd rather have you as a comrade than an enemy."

Neji stared at Azami, his eyes still expressionless. For once, the Hyuuga wasn't sure what to say. For a Kumogakure kunoichi to say she's sorry for what happened to the Hyuugas, no the _branch family_ and more importantly his _father_, it left him surprisingly shock. Letting a smooth breath pass through his lips, Neji glanced away.

"Hn."

Azami stood wide eyed as Neji paid no attention to her and continued to walk towards the rest of team Gai, though the girl tilted her head when she saw Neji quickly glance back at her with an almost considering gaze. Letting out a sigh Azami started to follow. _"I'll just have to keep trying,"_ the kunoichi thought. _"Just keep trying."_

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Early morning soon turned into late afternoon in the training field. A tired Azami found herself lying under a shady tree with her eyes closed. In the background of her mind she could hear the sound of a tree being kicked, but that was muffled by the breeze that blew past her. The girl was tired and knew she should go home, but she didn't feel like moving. After Azami had fought Neji she had went against Tenten who proved to be a hard one to dodge and Lee who had managed to leave a few unintentional dark bruises on her skin. As the kunoichi thought about her matches a puzzling question came into her mind.

"_That voice,"_ Azami thought thinking of her sparring match with Neji when she had noticed the chakra points in her arms were blocked off. The voice that had spoke to her was not her own, it was foreign but strangely familiar at the same time which left the girl wondering. _"Hmm, maybe it was the youthfulness inside of me,"_ Azami thought letting a small laugh pass through her lips. Letting the thoughts drift into the back of her mind though not too far, Azami took a breath of air.

"Aza-chan?"

Green eyes quickly opened and found themselves staring into dark orbs. A blush lightly formed on Azami's cheeks as she smiled, "Lee-kun," she said softly. The girl hadn't even noticed he had stopped training.

Rock Lee smiled back at Azami before laying down diagonal on the grass so his and the kunoichi's head were next to each other. Sweat was running down his forehead, but the genin was content. "Today was most joyful for training, don't you think?" Lee questioned.

Turning her head slightly so she could see Lee, Azami nodded in agreement. "Yeah it was," she murmured before looking back up. Moving a hand under her head, her green eyes watched as leaves danced on the tree, "Thank you for letting me train with you today," the Kumogakure kunoichi added, "I had fun."

"I'm glad you did Aza-chan," Lee replied before yawning. The taijutsu user raised his arms above his head and accidently hit Azami's arm making the girl hiss slightly. Dark eyes widened in worry, "Are you alright?" Rock Lee questioned.

Wincing, Azami looked to Lee and smiled. "Yeah it's alright," she spoke gently. "I'm just sore from training but I should expect that right?"

Lee laughed slightly and let his right hand fall back to his side, but kept his left hand over his head as he caught onto something soft. Slowly Lee started to run his fingers enjoying the texture. The genin tilted his head up see silver strands on hair caught in between his fingers. "Oh I'm sorry-"

"No Lee, it's fine," Azami murmured smiling; the feeling of fingers brushing through her hair brought back memories of home which made the kunoichi happy. "You can continue," she murmured before quickly adding, "If you want to, I mean."

Dark eyes watched as Azami's eyes slowly closed and the girl let out a sigh in content. Lee couldn't help but watch the girl and how the small rays of light peaking through the tree leaves lit up her face delicately. Rock Lee gulped slightly as he felt butterflies swarm in his stomach.

"Hey Lee-kun?"

"U-Uh, yes Aza-chan?" the genin stuttered slightly.

Reopening her eyes, Azami smiled at her friend. "Thank you for being so kind to me through all this," she said softly. "Even though you've just met me and we're from different villages you treat me as if you've known me forever." The girl's smile brightened, "I appreciate that."

"That is no problem," Lee said grinning, "I say it does not matter that we've only known each other for a short time, I see you as a precious friend."

"I can agree with that," Azami spoke thoughtfully; the taijutsu user's words really touched her. Turning her attention to the sky, the kunoichi noticed it was getting a bit late and she hadn't been home the night before. "Hey, I think I'm going to head home," Azami spoke as she sat up.

Rock Lee untangled his fingers from the girl's hair as she got, he sat up also. "Alright," he said. "I'll walk you home if that is your wish."

"That sounds nice," Azami said spoke softly, the thought of Lee walking her home made the girl oddly giddy. Getting up from her spot on the ground, the kunoichi stretched her arms into the air and let out a small yawn. She felt absolutely comfortable.

"Hey Aza-chan?"

Blinking, the kunoichi turned to look at Lee who was standing next to her. She watched as he lifted his hand up from his side and held his pinkie out. Tilting her head Azami looked at the male genin with curiosity.

"Azami let us make a promise," Rock Lee said, "that no matter what happens or what comes our way that we'll make it through the Chuunin Exams." A sparkle appeared on Lee's teeth as he grinned, even in the shade it was still there. "We'll make it to prove to ourselves that we'll have the skill," the genin paused, "and to see each other and our precious friends again and root for them until they make it to the top following their nindo."

Green eyes widened at the word 'nindo' as Azami remember the talk she and Lee had a while back. During the days of training the girl had been thinking about it, she had ideas about what her nindo was but wasn't sure. Though Azami knew she was close and the Chuunin Exams seemed like the last step that would get her there. Moving her arm forward, Azami lifted her hand into the air and hooked her pinkie with Lee's. "It's a promise," she said. "Most defiantly a promise."

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**Well, there's the chapter and I hoped you enjoyed it! The twelveth chapter will be up next week or this week if you guys want it. Umm, constructive cristism and comments/favorites/alerters are very much appreciated so please do that! Thankyou and that's all for now!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	12. Responsibility and Duty

**Hey! It's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx with chapter twelve of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus! I will admit this is somewhat of a boring chapter, but it's needed! Anyway I would like to thank:**

**--Reviewers: EchoesXGrace, LabyrinthMouse (anno.), Sparxyu, Sybil Corvax**

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**THANKYOU VERY VERY MUCH!!! Now...onto the fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I claim nothing. Got it? Got it? Good!**

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_**Chapter 12**_

The walk home with Lee was quite enjoyable for Azami. The two talked on the way sharing little comments and questions some of which made the kunoichi laugh and wonder. Hopping up the front steps of her house, Azami waved goodbye to Lee who was still on the street.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" the girl called smiling.

Rock Lee grinned back, "That's fine," he replied. "Bye Azami-chan!"

Nodding to Lee, the kunoichi waved again before opening the door to her house. Walking in she was met with the heavenly smell of food. "Hey, I'm home!" Azami yelled as she slipped of her ninja shoes and walked onto the cool wooden floor. Strolling down the hall the girl walked into the kitchen to see her sensei, Akio, placing food on their small table. "Akio-sensei," Azami said smiling.

Looking up, the jounin nodded. "Azami," he said coolly. "Nice of you to finally come home."

Stepping forward, Azami pulled back a chair from the kitchen table and sat down. "Yeah, sorry," the teen said softly. She bit down on her lower lip in what almost seemed like nervousness.

"It's fine," Akio replied after a pause, "Kado knew where you were so I wasn't too worried."

Blinking, Azami looked to her sensei before looking down at the table, she smiled. Kado wad always look out for her, no matter what. _"I really need to find a way to thank him,"_ the kunoichi thought.

"Azami."

Coming out of her thoughts, the teen looked to her sensei and tilted her head. "Hmm?" she murmured.

Akio looked out the small kitchen window, his grey eyes stared blankly. "I know you enjoy being here and making friends," he spoke. Pausing he looked back at the kunoichi, "but remember, you have other responsibilities to your village."

A sadden look crossed green eyes and Azami glanced down. "But Akio-sensei," the girl said quietly, "don't I have responsibilities to myself? I mean, don't I deserve to be happy?"

Sighing, Akio placed a hand on Azami's head. "Yes, yes you do," he muttered. "Sometimes though, you'll have to follow decisions that won't work in your favor. You understand that, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Azami replied softly. He green eyes closed and she crossed her arms so it looked like she was hugging herself. The girl felt like she was about to start crying, but knew the tears wouldn't come. Reopening her eyes, the kunoichi looked up at Akio and grinned brightly. "Can we start eating?" she questioned. "I'm starving!"

Taking his hand off the teen's head, Akio raised an eyebrow. A twinge of a smirk could be seen on his lips. "Alright," he said coolly.

Smiling, Azami pulled a plate from a stack on the table. As she too out her food, she could hear Akio yell something and the sound of shouting returned. In a few moments the teen heard footsteps as her teammates enter. Looking back at them Azami smiled.

Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Akio watched his students with a thoughtful eye. Kado was sitting in between Azami and Tanjiro who was being his usual brash self. Even though the three didn't see like they made a good trio, the jounin knew better. _"If you three make it, you could become very knowledgeable shinobi,"_ Akio thought. "_And maybe, just maybe you all can change the path that's been set before you….Azami, Tanjiro."_

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Night had gone by fast for Azami and now the girl found herself in her backyard, the Chuunin Exams were close and she needed all the extra practice she could get. Her body twisted slightly as she practiced her kicks on the lone tree on the plot of land, she had been there since early morning and now it was turning into the afternoon. The girl winced slightly as her foot met the tree again, _"how can Lee keep doing this?"_ she thought, her mind returning to the green genin shinobi for the umpteenth time that morning. For some reason Azami couldn't get Lee off her mind and to tell the truth, the girl didn't mind. Sighing, the kunoichi paused her kicking of the tree and put her hands behind her head. "I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Azami thought amused.

"Completely."

Green eyes blinked and the kunoichi's position slouched. Letting her hands fall to her side, Azami turned her head to see Tanjiro. "You're up early," she murmured softly.

"Yeah I wanted to get some _real_ training in," Tanjiro grunted. "Not just kick a tree for two hours. What's the helping you with? Because I don't see any changes."

Curling her hands into fists, Azami glanced to the side. Under Tanjiro's gaze the girl was at a lost of words, she also felt a sense of fear. Though, instead of wanting to run the girl stood her ground. "You don't see any changes because you don't _want_ to see them," Azami spoke coolly, "I am growing stronger Tanjiro."

"You only say that because Akio-sensei and Kado say so," Tanjiro snapped back. "You don't really believe that, do you?" The genin took steps towards his partner till they were merely inches apart. "You know deep inside you're still the weak kunoichi that brings shame to the Kumogakure shinobi."

_HOW DARE HIM!_

Green eyes narrowed as Azami felt her chakra spark and a sense of anger well up inside her, but the girl had the feeling the emotion wasn't her own still, she went with it. Closing the distance between her and Tanjiro, Azami looked into the older boy's eyes. "That's enough Tanjiro," she said harshly. "You're being childish and I'm not going to resort to your petty mocking." Walking past the shocked Tanjiro, Azami brushed shoulders with him and stopped. She turned her head back, "you may have the strength of a shinobi," Azami paused, "but certainly not the intellect of one."

Twisting his head as Azami continued to walk, Tanjiro looked at her. "A-And where do you think you're going?" he questioned.

A smirk appeared on Azami's lips as she heard the stutter in Tanjiro's voice, she felt her confidence boost slightly. Lifting her head up as she walked the kunoichi called back.

"I'm going to see Lee-kun and his team. To tell the truth Tanjiro, I find Lee-kun stronger than you in many ways."

Tanjiro's eyes widened in anger, but he found himself unable to move. One of the Konoha shinobi stronger then him? Impossible, he was the heir to the Takashima clan for Kami's sake! Skin turned pale as Tanjiro dug his nails into his palm and glared at Azami's retreating form. Suddenly the male swung around and punched the tree behind him and anger, a growl made its way to his throat.

"You're going to regret messing with me….Yamahara Azami."

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The morning sun shined throughout Konoha as people wandered on with their lives. In the training field Lee sat on the ground with his usual happy expression on his face. Near him was Tenten who was sitting down with her back against a tree and Neji stood tall next to her, he was leaning against the tree also.

A stifled yawn came from Tenten as she stretched her arms into the air. "Where's Gai-sensei?" she questioned looking to both of her teammates. "He's usually here the same time as you Lee."

Looking to the female genin, Lee grinned. "Gai-sensei said he would be here a little late today," he paused, "he had told me he had a surprise for us."

"Hm," Neji said throwing in his two cents before turning his head to the side slightly, the boy hated surprises. Period. Coming out of his thoughts, pearl-like eyes blinked as Neji sense a new chakra pattern heading towards. Looking up Neji saw a figure moving towards them and recognized the dark silver hair immediately. "Why is she here?" he spoke.

Lee, hearing Neji's comment turned in his head in the direction the Hyuuga was looking. The green cladded shinobi quickly jumped up and waved, "Azami-chan!" Rock Lee yelled happily as his friend made her way over. Though as she got closer, the taijutsu user's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. _"Is she shaking?"_ Lee thought taking a few steps forward.

Azami walked at an odd pace as she reached Lee and the others, not one word came from her mouth. Blinking, the girl looked at the three genin before glancing down at the ground. "Hi," she murmured quietly.

"You alright, Azami-chan?" Tenten asked curiously. "You look a bit shaken up."

"Y-Yeah, don't worry about it," the Yamahara replied. Truth be told, once Azami had left her house she began thinking about what she had said to Tanjiro. Even though her teammate deserved it, the girl felt bad. It wasn't in Azami's nature to snap at people, she was naturally docile. Shaking her head the girl smiled, "so why are you all just standing around?" she questioned before looking around. "Where's Gai-sensei?"

Just as on cue a large green blur passed Azami and Maito Gai landed on his feet giving a nice guy pose as usual. "Good morning my youthful students!" he exclaimed in his usual cheery way, "And Azami," the jounin added soon after smiling at the kunoichi.

"Gai-sensei," Azami greeted back, the girl was happy she was noticed.

"Can we begin training, we've waited long enough," Neji spoke cutting in on the happy atmosphere. The Hyuuga looked to his sensei as he pushed himself from off the tree. He crossed his arms in an almost impatient way.

"It's nice that you are so eager to train Neji," Gai said, "but as Lee probably told you, I have a surprise." At that moment, the jounin pulled his hand from behind his back to reveal a basket. "Since the Chuunin Exams are this Friday," Gai said as he opened the basket, delicious food was packed into it. "I thought it would be nice to take you all out for lunch!"

"Gai-sensei!" Rock Lee yelled as he jumped at the older male and hugged him. "You are so thoughtful!" A sparkle appeared as the genin grinned, "I will eat all the food with vigor!"

"Hey remember they're others here too," Tenten said giving Lee a light hit over the head. "Thanks Gai-sensei."

Azami watched the team with curious eyes as she stood there, the girl crossed her arms behind her back. _"They really do get along well,"_ she thought, she turned her gaze in Neji's direction. _"Though they have their differences they don't let it get in the way."_ Tilting her head to the ground, a sense of sadness came to Azami. _"If only we were like that…"_

"Azami-chan?"

Green eyes blinked as the kunoichi looked up to see Lee in front of her, as she looked to the side she saw the rest of Team Gai already a good distance away from them. "Oh gomen," Azami spoke softly looking back at Lee. "I was spacing out, did you say something?"

"I asked would you be joining us," Rock Lee repeated smiling. "You don't seem all that happy and maybe some food would help."

Azami looked at Lee and tilted her head, how was he always able to know when something was wrong. _"He's just that kind of guy,"_ the girl thought happily. "I'd be delighted to join you guys," Azami said smiling. "Besides, I haven't eaten this morning so I'm starving!"

"That is great," Lee replied, just seeing Azami smiling made him happy. Reaching his arm out, the taijutsu user held his hand open to the kunoichi. "Let us go then," Rock Lee said, his typical smile was plastered on his face.

Pausing for only a moment, Azami put her hand into Lee's. As she felt the heat from his hand, the girl felt her cheeks heat up as well. Though, she ignored the fast thumping of her heart as her friend gave a light pull started to walk towards the rest of Team Gai.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"You're serious?"

"Yeah…I've never tried it."

"Not even once?"

"Nope!"

A shy Azami looked down at the wooden table in the Ichiraku Ramen stand as she felt four pairs of eyes on her. The girl intertwined her fingers on her lap and she shifted uncomfortably on the plush red stool she was sitting on. "Is it really that surprising?" Azami questioned.

"Just a little," Tenten said, she was sitting right next to the Kumogakure kunoichi. The walk to the ramen stand wasn't that long, but when they had gotten there Azami had told them she had never had ramen before. "Do you have ramen stands in Kumo?" Tenten questioned.

Azami tilted her head up in thought, "I think we do," the girl spoke.

"Why have you not gone to any?" Lee piped up; he was sitting to Azami's left.

The kunoichi just shrugged, "well when we go out for food it's usually Akio-sensei who chooses," Azami explained. "I really never cared where we ate so I never made a big deal out of it."

"Well this will be a new experience for you Azami," Gai said looking down the line of genin. "Ramen is very good, especially Ichiraku's."

"Ain't that the truth!"

Azami lifted her head up at hearing the new voice. In front of her was the owner of Ichiraku's Ramen, Teuchi. In his hands were five bowls excellently balanced. "Here you all are," he said giving a smiling. The man placed each bowl on the counter, "please enjoy" Teuchi said before taking a step back and walking away.

Each of the shinobi reached for the respective bowls of food before they began to eat, but Azami hesitated. She stared at the steam that rose from her bowl of noodles; the smell of chicken filled her nose.

Lee who was watched the kunoichi from the corner of his eye lifted his head up. Slurping up the noodle that was in his mouth, he spoke. "Go ahead Aza-chan, its good really," Lee said encouraging the girl.

Green eyes stared into dark ones before Azami picked up her chopsticks and dipped them into the ramen. Leaning forward the girl scooped some noodles into her mouth. Azami's mouth moved for a few moments before the girl's eyes widened. Swallowing the food the girl smiled, she looked to Team Gai who was staring at her. "It's delicious!" she spoke happily.

"Knew you would like it," Tenten said smiling. "Even if you don't eat ramen all the time it is good in moderation."

"Though there is this one boy that comes here almost every day," Lee added.

Azami tilted her head, "really?" she questioned.

"I've seen him eat about nine bowls," Neji said, the Hyuuga had been awfully quiet. "It's disgusting," he spoke narrowing his eyes.

"Hmm," the kunoichi murmured. Hearing Neji's comment made Azami look at her ramen questionably; the girl didn't feel so hungry anymore. Shaking her head, the girl propped her elbows on the table and intertwined her fingers. Laying her chin onto, Azami smiled. "Thank you for inviting me here," she said out loud. "I think this is what I needed to clear my mind."

"No problem Azami," Gai said smiling. "You have trained with us, we can consider you one of our own."

Tenten nodded in agreement, "yeah," she spoke. "Besides I need someone sane at least one in a while."

Azami giggled slightly at the replies she got, though something was bugging her. "I have to ask," she said softly. "After the Chuunin Exams are done, will this still be the same?" the kunoichi looked to the ground. "Us being friends I mean."

"Of course!" Lee replied quickly. "The Chuunin Exams are supposed to bring the villages together and we have done just that." Smiling, the taijutsu user put a hand on Azami's shoulder. "Aza-chan, we'll always be friends, no matter what."

Azami looked at Lee and smiled softly, she placed a hand over the one he had on her shoulder. "Thank you," she murmured, "really." The beating of Azami's heart rang in her ears as it started to speed up as she continued to look at Lee. It always happened with him, but the girl had to wonder why. Azami tilted her head, an idea came to mind. _"Maybe…"_

"Azami!"

Silver hair shifted as Azami removed her hand from Lee's and looked back. There was Kado standing at the entrance of the ramen stand. The boy's hands were clenched and his chest rose as he breathed heavily. Slowly Azami got up from her chair, "Kado-kun, are you okay?" she questioned. "Is something wrong?"

"You need to come back to the house now." Kado said, "Something's happened."

Green eyes widened as Azami took a few steps towards her teammate. "Is someone hurt?" she said, "What is it?" The sound of panic could be heard clearly in Azami's voice.

"Just come," Kado said firmly which made Azami take a step back. His cool eyes watched her before landing on Team Gai for a moment. He bowed his head in farewell and walked out of Ichiraku's Ramen.

"…Aza-chan…"

Azami looked back to see Lee and the others looking at her with confusion, the girl smiled. "It's alright, just probably a team meeting or something," she spoke, though her voice wavered from uncertainty. Focusing her attention on Lee, Azami gave a bright smile. "I'll see you later alright?" she said as she walked backwards towards the entrance. Waving goodbye, Azami disappeared out of the stand and onto the street, only strands of her dark silver hair could be seen before she went out of site.

"I wonder what happened," Neji said coolly. Though the Hyuuga didn't care, the tone of Azami's teammate sounded strained.

"Me too," Tenten spoke; the girl leaned against the counter. "Think it's something serious?"

Gai looked at his students and smiled, "do not worry," he said. "Azami said it was most likely a team meeting, I'm sure everything is right." The jounin looked back to his ramen, "now let us continue eating, then we'll work the ramen off with one hundred laps around Konoha!"

Even though hearing they would be training, Rock Lee did not reply with excitement like he usually would. All the genin did was continued to stare at the entrance of the ramen shop intently. Even though Azami said everything was fine, he felt something different. Just the look in her eyes told him something was up. Closing his eyes, Lee let out a sigh; his worry ran deep for the Kumogakure kunoichi. _"I hope everything is alright…Aza-chan."_

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**Hmm? Trouble with the Kumogakure shinobi? How will things turn out? Well, you just have to wait and see! Hopefully I'll post the next chapter around Wednesday, I may even do it tommorrow if I get engrossed in it. Um, constructive cristism and comments are lovely and always welcomed so please, drop a line. Thankyou to everyone so far for your support!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	13. Carry Me Home

**HA! I actually posted wicked early! Ehem, anyways....Hey! It's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here with the thirteenth chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus. This chapter does have a little fluffyness in it if you could call it that and may seemed a bit rushed, but I hope you enjoy it! I will not be doing the thanks to reviewers, ect. because I updated so quickly, but I'll do it for the next chapter so for now please enjoy chapter thirteen of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...-sigh-**

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_**Chapter 13**_

Blue ninja sandals clicked against the dirt street hard as Azami ran. Kado had gone on ahead of her after he had told her to come home. _"I wonder what has happened," _the teen thought. Azami had several ideas running through her head, but none of them seemed correct. The girl let out a huff of air in frustration; this is not what she needed.

Turning to the right, Azami came to the street she was currently living on. Slowing down to a jog she came to her house and jumped up the front steps. She didn't hesitant as she twisted the knob and walked in. There she saw Kado at the end of the hall standing in front of a door, "Kado what's wrong?" Azami questioned as she quickly walked over to him. Green eyes noticed blue ones staring into the room with an odd intensity. "Kado…" Azami murmured as she put a hand on the doorframe and peeked in.

"No…" was the only thing Azami said as she started to shake her head left to right, the room was in shambles. Papers and glass littered the floor along with other items. The mattress for the bed had been thrown against the wall and the wooden bureau laid turned over. On the wall was the word _'worthless'_ scribbled in red. Though the thing that caught Azami's attention was the haitai-ate that was in the middle of the destruction, the metal had been broken in two. It was hers, this was her room.

"Azami, I'm sorry," Kado said as he watched the girl enter her destroyed room. She stopped and picked up her haitai-ate and Kado watched as she cradled the broken item in her hands. "We'll try to get everything cleaned up, alright?"

Azami didn't reply to Kado's words of sympathy as she just stared at her haitai-ate. She ran her fingers over the broken cracks and as she did, the girl felt her throat become tight. Slowly the girl turned around.

"This was my sister's…"

Blue eyes widened as Kado saw tears running down Azami's cheeks. Her green eyes were filled with a deep sorrow that Kado had not seen in Azami before, she almost looked broken. The genin took a step forward, "Azami, listen…"

"She had given it to me when I had graduated from the academy," the kunoichi spoke, her voice shook. "She had been so proud of me and made me promise to take care of it." Sniffling slightly Azami put two fingers against her neck, "I was so busy training this morning I didn't notice it wasn't around my neck, how could I've be so stupid!"

As Kado was about to say something else, the sound of footsteps caught his attention. Turning his head he came face to face with Tanjiro, he narrowed his eyes. "You…"

_SLAP_

"Are you happy now?" Azami snapped as she held her right hand in the air, it was shaking. None of the boys had seen her move, but now the kunoichi was in front of Tanjiro. "Why? What have I done to you, huh?" Azami questioned.

Tanjiro rubbed his stinging cheek and glared at Azami, "if it wasn't for you-"

"Do you think I wanted any of this?" Azami screamed, the confusion and hurt rang clearly in her voice. "Do you think I wanted to not be able to make the most important choice in my life? Tanjiro, you're not the only one that had been hurting." Wiping away some of the tears that were still running down her cheeks, Azami looked to the ground. "Though you never saw it, did you?" Shaking her head the kunoichi looked to her teammate, his eyes widened.

"I can't believe you Tanjiro and right now I can't find it in my heart to forgive. This is not like all the other times and I'm sorry, but I JUST CAN'T TANJIRO!"

"Azami!" Kado yelled as the girl bolted out of her room and down the hall. He quickly followed after her, but as she slammed the front door in his face he paused for a moment. Blue eyes looked back at Tanjiro in shame, Kado shook his head. "I hope you're happy," he growled before swinging the door open and slamming it behind him, leaving a silent Tanjiro to stand alone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The sound of rain water tapping lightly against glass was the only sound Rock Lee heard as he laid in bed staring up at his ceiling. After eating at Ichiraku's Ramen and training for about three hours, the genin had come to home to relax but he found it impossible at the moment. Lee's thoughts kept wandering back to Azami, _"is she okay?"_ he thought before shaking his head. _"Of course she is, Aza-chan is a strong kunoichi. Also, she has her teammates there for her."_ A sigh escaped Lee's lips, even though he was thinking happy thoughts they did not comfort his mind.

Stretching his arms above his head, Lee sat up in his bed and moved his feet over the side. Getting up, the genin walked out of his room and down the hall of his house. As he came to the living room he saw his mother sitting on the couch with a book in her hand. "Okaa-san," Lee greeted.

Ju tilted her head back to look at her son and smiled, "Lee-kun," she spoke though after she tilted her head in confusion. "Is something wrong?" she questioned, "you look a little blue."

Dark eyes widened and Lee shook his head, "of course not Okaa-san," he said smiling. "I'm bursting with youthfulness!"

"Don't lie to your mother Lee-kun," Ju said, she had a skeptical look in her eyes. "I've known you since the day you were born and the nine months before that actually." Bending the page in her book, Ju closed it. "So tell me, what's wrong?"

Lee gazed at the woman before sighing; she always knew when something wasn't right. Yet what did he expect, Ju was his mother. "I think something may be wrong with Azami," Lee said.

"Why would you think that?" Ju questioned.

"One of her teammates came to get her when we were all eating at Ichiraku's Ramen," Rock Lee explained. "He sounded worried and the look in Azami's eyes spoke the same."

Ju nodded in understanding, "well why don't you go see her then," she suggested. "That would put your worries at rest."

"Yes, I know," Lee said nodding. "Yet I do not wish to impose."

"Lee-kun, friends impose whether the other likes it or not, it shows that you care," Ju said smiling though it was a sad one. "That's what your father had done."

Hearing the mention of his father, Lee frowned slightly. Though he hadn't spent a lot of time with him, Lee did miss him. His father had died on a mission to Kirigakure when he was six, and the lost hit young Lee hard but he was proud. His father died for his village and it was looked upon as an honor. Coming out of his thoughts, Lee focused on his mother and nodded. "I am going to leave for bit," he said.

Ju smiled, "alright," she spoke. "Send Azami-chan my regards."

"Alright," Lee said smiling before walking past the living room and to the front door. The male slipped on his ninja sandals before turning the knob and opening the door. Though Lee didn't walk out because someone was standing outside. The genin's eyes widened with surprise, "Kado?" Lee said.

"Hey Lee," the Kumogakure shinobi said coolly. Kado was soaked from head to toe from the rain outside and his hair laid flat against his cheeks. Looking to the right Kado shivered," have you seen Azami anywhere?" he questioned.

The taijutsu user shook his head, "no I have not," Lee said. "I was actually going to come see her." Moving to the side, Lee closed the door to his house and stepped into the dreary outdoors. "Did something happen?" he asked.

Kado frowned, "more like someone," he said distastefully. "Azami ran out of the house and I've looked everywhere I could think of for her but I can't find her." The genin looked to the rainy sky, "and I'm starting to get worried, she hates this kind of weather."

"What do you mean?" Lee asked slightly confused.

"When we first started doing missions our team had to travel to Kirigakure," Kado muttered. "Azami ended up getting lost in a freak rain storm and when we found her the girl traumatized." Kado ran his fingers through his hair, "she hasn't liked heavy rain storms or large bodies of water ever since."

A sad looked appeared in Lee's eyes as Kado spoke, _"poor Aza-chan,"_ he thought, _"and now she's out there alone."_ Suddenly a determined look appeared on Lee's face, he had to do something. "Kado, I shall help you find Aza-chan," he said. "If the two of us look, I am sure we will find her."

Kado stared at Lee for a few moments before nodding, "alright," he replied. "I'll take the north and east side of town, you'll take the south and west, sound alright?"

Lee nodded in agreement, "that is fine," he said.

Nodding once more Kado smirked, "thanks Lee," he said coolly. "No wonder Azami enjoys being around you, you seem to make a good friend." With that, Kado disappeared into the heavy rain in search of Azami.

Lee watched as Kado faded into the rain before he walked down the front steps of his house and ran down the main road of Konoha. A look of determination could be seen clearly in his eyes. Rock Lee had a job to do and he was going to complete it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The howling of wind echoed through the air as large rain drops hit the leaves of trees. All around shadows twisted and turned to make shapes that could be described as frightening. Anyone who was out in this weather would have had to be crazy or extremely shook up. _"Shook up indeed,"_ Azami thought to herself as she pushed her knees against her chest and shivered. The girl was starting to regret running out of her house.

Azami wasn't sure how far she had run after her episode with Tanjiro, but she had gotten far enough to not know where she was. Now the girl laid under a tree in the pouring rain, cold, scared and alone. The only thing that kept her company was the broken haitai-ate she held in her hand, but it offered no warmth to her. "I'm sorry Onee-chan," Azami murmured as tears started to fall from her eyes. "I really am worthless…"

At that moment, Azami heard a sound rustle through the trees and it wasn't the wind. Her green eyes went on high alert as she sat up and looked around; the feeling of panic was starting to rise. Hearing the sound again, Azami quickly scrambled to her feet. She felt disoriented because of rain which was messing up her vision and the headache she was getting from crying so hard. Listening intently Azami heard the sound once more and her mind only told her one thing.

_Run_

Azami's sandals hit the ground hard as she weaved deeper into unknown territory; fear and confusion were all that filled her mind. As Azami continued to run she didn't hear the sound of footsteps running after her or the voice calling for her until it was too late. A strong arm wrapped around Azami which made the girl scream and she started to struggle. "Let go of me!" she yelled. "Please, let go of me!"

"Azami-chan, please calm down! It is only me!"

Green eyes widened and Azami looked up to see soaked black bangs and dark eyes staring down at her in worry. The girl's legs started shaking and she found she couldn't keep herself up anymore, she was exhausted. Letting herself collapse, Azami brought down the person with her.

Rock Lee held Azami close as he kneeled to the ground with the girl in his arms. The girl was shivering and clinging to him for warmth and usually vibrate eyes were now a dull green. Azami's current state made Lee frown sadly. "Aza-chan," he murmured as he brushed wet strands of hair out of the girl's face. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better," Azami spoke as she looked at Lee and smiled weakly, "I look pretty pathetic, don't I?" she joked.

Lee shook his head, "of course not," he replied. "You are never pathetic in my eyes Aza-chan."

Azami's eyes widened as Lee's response and she felt a lump grow in her throat. Soon after, the kunoichi's vision started to grow blurry and she rested her head against Lee's chest. Her body began to shake uncontrollably.

Lee's grip on Azami tightened as the girl started to cry again, he rested his head on her own. "It's alright Aza-chan," he cooed. "Just let it all out."

Azami paused her crying for a moment at hearing Lee's words and gripped his jumpsuit with one hand. Shutting her eyes tight, the girl let out a loud scream that echoed through the wailing wind. Frustration, fear, sadness, confusion, hurt, pain, all different emotions filled her cry.

Rock Lee closed his eyes as he heard Azami scream and cry, he felt a pain inside him as well. _"I'm sorry I wasn't there,"_ the taijutsu thought as he reopened his eyes and looked at Azami. _"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."_ Letting a breath pass through his lips Lee smiled slightly, _"though I will be for now on, that is a promise."_

How long the two sat in the rain neither of them knew, but it had to be a while because they both looked like soaked rats after Azami had calmed down. Shifting slightly, Lee put his hands on the kunoichi's shoulders and pushed her away slightly so he could see her face. "Are you ready to go back?" he questioned softly.

Azami rubbed her puffy red eyes for a moment before nodding. "Y-Yeah," the girl said softly, 'I guess so." That girl glanced down at the ground, "but Lee?" she murmured.

"Yes, Azami-chan?" the taijutsu user replied.

"Can you carry me?"

Lee saw a hopeful look appear in Azami's eyes and smiled, he couldn't reject the request. "Of course," he said as he turned around so Azami was facing his back. "Just wrap your arms around my neck."

Moving slowly, Azami did what she was told. Her arms hung loosely around Lee's neck so she wouldn't choke him. "Alright," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

Nodding, Lee stood up quickly and as he did he grabbed Azami's legs so her knees were resting at his side. He tilted his head back, "are you comfortable?" Lee asked.

Azami smiled, Lee always thought of others before himself. "Yeah I am," he said as she rested her head on his back. As she did this, Azami started to think. _"I'm always so comfortable with you, no matter what,"_ the girl thought. _"Even though we've just met I trust you." _Azami smiled, _"and I always want to be around you, maybe I'm…"_

"Hey Lee-kun?"

"Yes Aza-chan?"

_...Maybe…_

Azami shook her head, "it's nothing," she spoke. "I just wanted to say thank you."

Rock Lee smiled, "that is what I'm here for Aza-chan," he spoke. "Just remember that."

Green eyes closed as Lee started to walk forward, Azami nodded. "Alright," she murmured as she snuggled her head into his back. The steady rhythm of Lee's pace made drowsiness start to over come Azami but she didn't care. Soon the girl's breathing became slow and steady and a smile made its way to her lips. Only one thought stayed on Azami's mind as she drifted into a light sleep.

"_Lee, maybe…maybe I'm actually falling for you."_

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**AND SHE ADMITS IT! Will Azami tell Lee how she feels or will her shyness and other obstacles get in the way? You'll just have to wait and see! The next update will probably be around Wednesday, but it depends on my schedule so just stay tuned! Constructive cristism and reviews are greatly welcomed so drop a line, I'll be waiting! That is all for now and till next time everyone!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	14. Still Wondering

**Hey, it's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx back with the fourteenth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus! I really don't know what to say about this chapter so lets just get on with it! But first I would like to thank...**

**--Reviewers: TechnoTobi, EchoesXGrace **

**--Alerters: Shaka [Zulu, TechnoTobi‏,**

**--Favoriters: SnOw-CoVeReD-RoSe, shadowluigi243, TechnoTobi‏, HayLin123**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, alright? Good!**

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_**Chapter 14**_

"You sure you don't want a change of clothes?"

"Yes, I am fine."

A pause. "How about another towel?"

Rock Lee glanced down at the white cloth around his neck before looking at Kado who was leaning on the wall across from him. He took the towel from around his neck, "that would be nice, thank you," Lee said as he handed the item to Kado. Leaning his back against the wall behind him, the taijutsu user looked down. His eyes scrutinized the wooden floor he was standing on with intense concentration. In his mind, thoughts of the events that happened that night drifted without any boundaries.

After finding Azami in a deep part of the training grounds, Lee had carried her back to the main street of the village. On the way he had met up with Kado, who looked more then relieved to see the sleeping kunoichi on his back, The three then made their was back to the house and now Lee stood in the hall outside of Azami's room, the door was closed and locked. Letting out a sigh, Lee looked to the wooden entrance. Subconsciously, he brought a hand up to his other arm and starting tapping his fingers against it impatiently.

"Here."

Blinking, Lee glanced up to see Kado standing in front of him; the other genin was holding a blue towel out to him. Smiling politely, Rock Lee took the fabric from him, "thank you," he spoke as he put the towel on his head and starting drying the last remains of rain water out of his hair.

"No problem," Kado said as he sat down next to Lee. Dark blue eyes glanced up at the taijutsu user with an unreadable look before looking straight at the other wall. Even though Lee was drying his hair, Kado could see a glimpse of the expression that was on the teen's face. "Don't worry," he murmured.

Deep eyes shifted. "Huh?"

Kado closed his eyes for a moment. "Azami is going to be fine, don't worry," he spoke. "She's been through a lot." Blue eyes reopened, "she's strong," Kado added.

Lee gave Kado a long, meaningful look before nodding in agreement. The genin was Azami's teammate after all and besides, he believed in her as well. "You are right," Rock Lee said. "Though I must ask, why does Tanjiro treat Azami-chan with such unfriendliness?"

Kado tilted his head up to meet Lee's questionable gaze; did the green clothed shinobi really see the hostility Tanjiro bestowed on Azami in such a short time? Running his fingers through his hair, Kado looked back at the opposite wall. "What would make you say that?" he questioned.

Lee chewed on his bottom lip slightly; a concentrated look was on his face. "It is just when Aza-chan mentions him, she seems to become sad," the taijutsu user said, his words were slow and thoughtful. "Almost as if she is blaming herself." Lee closed his eyes and sighed. "Also," he paused, "when I had found her she had a hopeless and lost look in her eyes, it reminding me of the day when I first met her when Tanjiro had hit her on the head. It was the same hurt expression." Reopening his eyes Lee looked to Kado," does that make sense?" he asked.

Blue eyes stared at Rock Lee with a hint of surprise, Kado nodded. "Yes, yes it does," he agreed. "Though the answer to your question…I really don't think it's my place to tell," Kado spoke coolly. "You could ask Azami." The Kumogakure shinobi crossed his arms, _"Though I don't know if she'll tell or not,"_ he added to himself.

Not noticing the pondering look on Kado's face, Lee gave a silent nod in response. He then turned his attention back Azami's room door. A sense of anxiousness was starting to make its way to the genin's head. _"Please be alright," _Lee thought as he closed his eyes and sighed. The waiting game was not fun to play.

Though as if the heavens themselves were listening to Lee, a creaking sound was heard. The door had swung open.

Kado got up from his spot on the ground as his sensei, Akio walked out of Azami's room rubbing his temples. The jounin glanced at the two genin who were staring at him clearly waiting, Akio closed his eyes. "She's alright," he murmured. "Just a few scratches here and there, plus a slight fever but other then that, she's fine." A soft sound was heard as the boys both let out a sigh in relief, "you can go in and see her," Akio said.

Without hesitation, Rock Lee and Kado walked pasted Akio and gave a small nod to him. Stepping into the room, they made their way over to the bed on the side of the room. Seeing some movement, Lee smiled and moved a bit in front of Kado and looked down at the bed. "Azami-chan" he called softly.

Green eyes fluttered and a small moan was heard from chapped lips as Azami turned her head. Seeing Kado and Lee by her side, the girl gave a weak smile. "Hey you guys," she spoke, her voice was raspy.

"How are you feeling?" Kado asked as he placed a hand on Azami's forehead. Akio was right, she was getting a fever.

Azami eyes squinted as she felt Kado's cool hand, "very tired and sickish," she replied. Closing her eyes for a moment, the teen snuggled into her blankets some more," but at least I'm warm, right?"

Kado smirked, "right," he murmured as he took his hand off of Azami, the shinobi took a step back. "Well, I'm going to let you get some rest," he spoke before leaning down. Kado placed a quick kiss on the girl's forehead before straightening up. "Call me if you need anything."

Azami smiled as her teammate made his way to the door, she nodded. "Alright," she called weakly. When she heard the door close, the kunoichi closed her eyes. A few coughs came from her but quickly receded. Turning over to her side, Azami smiled. She didn't forget there was another presence in the room. "Lee-kun, you can take a seat if you would like," the teen murmured.

Dark eyes blinked as Lee looked at Azami, he watched her eyes open again as she smiled at him. Slowly, the boy turned and sat down on the edge of the bed silently. For once, Rock Lee didn't know what to say. The genin glanced to Azami for a moment before looking around her room, things were scattered and here and there some things looked very misplaced.

"It use to look a lot worse," Azami spoke quietly which made Lee look at her. "Akio cleaned it up a bit so it would be at least half decent." Resting her elbows on the bed, Azami pushed her aching body up slightly and stared out. "I shouldn't have said those things to Tanjiro," she murmured. "If I knew he was going to do this…" Pausing, Azami shook her head, "no, I just shouldn't have done it in the first place."

Frowning, Lee sighed as Azami blamed herself. "Aza-chan," he said softly. "Wasn't it Tanjiro who taunted you first?" Scooting a little, the genin moved closer to Azami. "He has always done that, right?" Tilting his head, Lee looked straight into Azami's eyes. "Why does he do that?" he asked.

Green eyes glanced to the side as Azami bit down on her bottom lip; Lee's eyes held a confused look and she could see sadness in them as well. Had the way that Tanjiro treated her really bothered him? Letting out a small sigh, Azami turned back to Lee. "It's a long story," she murmured before pausing, "but I will tell you…Tanjiro wasn't always like the way he is now." Lifting up a hand, Azami ran her fingers through her hair. "We use to be pretty close but a few months back, something in our village happened, an announcement of sorts." The teen's eyes narrowed slightly, "since then things haven't been peaceful between us."

Rock Lee nodded in understanding after hearing Azami's explanation. Leaning his elbows on his knees he kept his eyes on her. "May I ask what the announcement was?" he questioned.

A silence filled the room for a long time as Azami stared at the ground, the girl did not speak. After three long minutes, the kunoichi closed her eyes. "Not now," Azami politely said but a slight edge could be heard. "I'm sorry…I just-"

"-You do not have to apologize Aza-chan," Lee said as he raised his hand and placed it on the girl's shoulder. "It must be hard for you," he said. "I understand." Slowly, Rock Lee moved from off Azami's bed and stood, his eyes were still on her. "I will let you rest, you look tired," he spoke softly. A small smile was plastered on his face.

And what Rock Lee did next made Azami's heart stop.

Even though it was the same act of kindness that Kado did before he left, Azami couldn't help but gasp slightly as Lee placed his lips on her forehead. Green eyes stared at the shinobi for what seemed like eternity before he moved away. Azami felt her cheeks heat up in a blush, the only thing she could do was smile back at Lee. Though as the boy made a move to turn, Azami quickly reach out and grabbed his hand. The kunoichi looked down at the ground as Lee looked at her. "I-if you wouldn't m-mind," Azami stuttered. "D-Do you think you can s-stay a little while l-longer, until I fall asleep?"

Dark eyes watched Azami careful before Rock Lee smiled, intertwining his hand with the girl's, he sat down. "If that is what you wish," he said as he grinned brightly.

Azami smiled back gratefully, "thank you," she said, her words drawled as she yawned. Slowly, Azami let her head fall slightly and relaxed into her pillow. Green eyes blinked and the kunoichi focused on her breathing. Feeling sleep making its way to her, Azami gave her right hand a slight squeeze and when she felt a squeeze back she smiled. And within a few minutes the girl's eyes closed as she began her way into a comfortable sleep, her hand still entwined around Lee's.

And to tell the truth…Azami wouldn't have it any other way.

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**Well there's the chapter! Sorry if it's a bit boring but I still hope you enjoyed it! Please leave reviews, comments and constructive critism is very much appreciated! I don't know when I'll update next because I'm going to a Choir Context with my school, but I promise to write more while I'm on the more then four hour drive. So till then, see ya!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	15. The Welcoming Festival

**Hey! xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here bringing you another chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus! Sorry it took so long with this update, things have been a bit busy and I had brain explosion on what to write for this chapter. Anyway I would like to thank:**

**--Reviewers: ****EchoesXGrace, Sybil Corvax**

**--Alerters: ****Aubrey Le Blank, The-Kiwi-Lover**

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**Now onto the fifteenth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

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_**Chapter 15**_

In Konohagakure, the night was hot but comfortable. Around the village, the voices of civilians and visitors echoed through the air excitedly. Lights of white, orange and red lit the streets on Konoha in a bright hue of colors that would make anyone smile. Tonight was a night for everyone to come out and just enjoy themselves and just have fun. The Welcoming Festival, the opener for the Chuunin Exams.

On a small wooden bridge that was over a small river leaned Rock Lee with his usual gracing his face. Though the boy was acting like he normally did, something was off. Instead of his normal jumpsuit attire, Lee was wearing something completely different. Tonight, he was sporting a dark green yukata with an orange obi tied around his waist. To anyone who passed the lone shinobi, some would probably say he looked good.

Tilting his head up Rock Lee looked to the twilight sky, his dark eyes moved from star to star as he let his mind wander. _"The Chuunin Exams begin in two days,"_ the genin thought. _"I wonder what our first test shall be?"_ Though Lee was excited by the exams, somewhere inside the shinobi was nervous as well. With the Chuunin Exams he could be one step closer to his nindo or be taken two steps back. It would all depend on how the cards would fall and he had no idea what the outcome would be at all. It pretty much was just a wait and see topic.

"Hey, Lee!"

Blinking out of his thoughts, the genin turned his head in the direction he heard his name being called. Rock Lee smiled as he saw his two teammates Tenten and Neji walking towards him. The female of his team was wearing a pink furisode with what seemed like white petals decorating it with a red obi and her hair was in one bun instead of its usual two with a few strands of hair framing her face. Neji was also wearing a yukata like Lee except it was a plain tan with a black obi. Pushing himself off the rail on the bridge, the genin straightened up as his teammates neared him. "Tenten, Neji, a joyous evening we are having tonight," Lee said grinning.

"Very joyous," Tenten agreed smiling, though the girl stopped and looked around confused. In a few moments, she looked back at Lee. "Where's Azami?" she questioned. "I thought you were going to invite her."

"She probably didn't want to hear from Lee all night," Neji murmured but he was quickly jabbed in the side by Tenten. Two days before the Chuunin Exam and he still couldn't give the taijutsu user a break.

Ignoring his teammate's comment, Rock Lee frowned slightly. It had been three days since Azami's incident with Tanjiro and the genin hadn't been able to talk to her face to face since then. "I had gone to go talk to her yesterday but once I arrived, Kado said she was sleeping," he explained. "He said she still wasn't feeling good, but said she would come to the festival if she was well enough."

"Oh," Tenten said in understanding, but disappointment. The girl was hoping to have another female with her at the festival. Sighing, the teen shrugged, "well it can't be helped," Tenten said. "Though maybe you can bring something back for her Lee, like a souvenir?"

Rock Lee banged his hand into his open palm at the idea, "that is a very good suggestion Tenten!" he said happily. "I shall win a wonderful prize for Aza-chan! To the game stands!"

"Lee, wait up!" Tenten yelled as the taijutsu user ran off the bridge and towards the main part of the village. The girl let out a huff knowing she'd be growing through a bunch of crowds to find her teammate, though she was guessing it might not be so hard because of his green yukata.

Crossing his arms, Neji looked to Tenten. "You had to get him started?" he questioned, but it was more like a statement.

"Neji, it's a festival," Tenten said smiling. "We're supposed to have as much fun as we can before the Chuunin Exams." Reaching out the weapon mistress grabbed Neji's hand and started pulling him. "Now come on! It will be over if we just stand here."

Neji looked down at Tenten's hand in his before allowing her to pull him along as they headed to the main square in the town. Though part of him wanted nothing to do with the laughter of the village and the incredibly ridiculous games, he decided he would deal with it. Besides, Tenten had spent a good thirty minutes telling him the reasons why he should attend the Welcoming Festival, why not let her drag him all the way?

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The sound of people and loud noises along with the glow of lights was all that flooded the senses as Azami laid in her bed. Turning away from her window the girl let out a small groan and sniffled trying to remove the stuffiness from her nose. Putting a hand under her soft pillow and one under her head, the girl closed her eyes. Taking deep breaths, Azami calmed her breathing as she tried to force herself to go the sleep. Yet as soon as she heard a loud, excited yell green eyes reopened.

This wasn't working.

Letting out a sigh, the kunoichi pushed herself up from her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. For the last three days the girl hadn't been feeling good, emotionally and physically. After the incident with Tanjiro, Azami had detached herself from the rest of the house. She barely talked to Kado or her sensei and she avoided her other teammate at all costs. She even told Kado to tell Lee she was sleeping when she wasn't, the girl was really in a slump.

"_This is boring,"_ Azami thought to herself as she let her legs hang over the edge of her bed before getting up. The girl's steps were quiet as she made her way over to her window, placing her hands at the bottom Azami lifted the glass up. The girl was greeted with a nice calm breeze and the sound of the festival. Placing her elbows on the window frame the girl leaned out and looked towards the main part of the village. Though she didn't want to admit it, a part of Azami wanted to be at the Welcoming Festival walking among the civilians and the shinobi from different villages.

"You know, sitting here won't get you to the festival any faster."

Green eyes widened and Azami turned her head to find Kado standing at her door. She gave a small smile before turning back to the window. "I can't," Azami muttered. "I mean it's just a festival and besides, I have nothing to wear."

Kado looked at his teammate blankly for a moment before walking over to her. Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, Kado looked out the window as well. "Yeah but it's the Welcoming Festival for the Chuunin Exams," he spoke coolly. "I won't force you to go, but don't you think you should have just a bit of fun before we have to get serious?"

Azami remained silent for a moment. The girl turned her head away from Kado, "I guess," she murmured.

Blue eyes lightened slightly at Azami's response, Kado patted her shoulder. "Good," he said as he let his hand slip off her and backed up. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

A small sigh came from Azami's lips as she heard Kado's footsteps retreat and the sound of her door closing. Closing her eyes, the girl pulled herself from the window and closed it. "Maybe I should," she thought as she reopened her eyes. Turning around, Azami made a move to go back to her bed but stopped, something was there. Walking forward, the teen stopped at her bed and looked down; sitting in the middle was a brown paper package.

"What's this?" Azami murmured as she reached down and lifted up the package. Holding it with both hands the girl shook it; from the noise she guessed whatever inside was light. Turning the package again, Azami discovered a note tucked under the string that held the brown paper together. Slim fingers moved quickly as Azami pulled out the card and flipped it over; a smile graced her lips as she recognized it as Kado's handwriting.

'_Hope you like blue.'_

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"Careful Lee, don't drop it!!"

"No one ever wins at these games…they're rigged."

"I assure you sonny! My game is a truthful as it can be!"

Ignoring the voices around him, dark eyes had a determined look in them as Rock Lee stared straight into a tank of water. Slowly, the genin moved his hand which held an item that looked like a paper net. _"I must not fail,"_ Lee thought. _"I shall not be able to forgive myself if I do!"_ Nodding to himself in encouragement, the male took a deep breath and dipped the net into the tank. Rock Lee waited quietly for a few moments before he saw something move in the water. Quickly but steadily, he lifted up the net.

"Got it!"

Lee smiled brightly at the fish he caught with the paper net. Surprisingly though the animal was flopping around, it didn't break through the thin material.

"See?! My game is as honest as it can be!" the vender said looked at Neji who was standing behind Rock Lee. Turning around, the man got a small plastic bad and filled it with some of the tank water. Taking the paper net from Lee, the vender slid the fish into the plastic bag and tied the top. "There you go my boy, your prize!" he exclaimed.

"Good job Lee," Tenten said smiling at him as they started to walk away from the game stand.

Reaching out, Rock Lee took the plastic bag and followed his teammates. He smiled as he watched the marine creature swim around the bag slowly. "See Neji, I told you I would prevail!" he said looking to the Hyuuga.

Pearl eyes glanced at Lee was Neji crossed his arms and looked the other way. "It does not prove anything," he said. "It was just a game."

"Aw, Neji lighten up," Tenten piped in as she nudged the stoic genin and smiled. Taking her attention off her team, the kunoichi looked at her surroundings. Vending stands surrounded her along with many people; she also saw different haitai-ates as she walked among the crowd. The Welcoming Festival was really something to behold. As Tenten continued to look, the sound of strings reached her head. Looking over the crowd, the girl could see swishing clothes and moving bodies. "What's going on?" Tenten spoke.

Lee who heard the kunoichi looked in the direction she was facing, the feeling of curiosity came over him. Moving through the crowd of people, the genin made his way to where Tenten had pointed out. As he neared music filled Lee's ears and he could see people dancing. Turning, Rock Lee looked to his teammates who appeared behind him. "What kind of music is this?" he questioned, he had never heard the song before.

"It's from Kumogakure."

Three pairs of eyes turned to the voice, and were met with a familiar face. "Kado," Lee said in slight surprise but smiled nonetheless. The male was wearing a blue yukata with a white obi. Looking back at the dancing figures, the taijutsu user watched in awe. Each step the dancers made were light and it looked like they didn't even touch the ground, he could even hear some of them singing.

"What is the song about?" Tenten asked as she looked to Kado. He was from the song's village so she bet he had to know.

Crossing his arms, the Kumogakure shinobi looked to Tenten. "No one knows really," he explained. "It's been in the village for years, dating back to the first shinobi."

"Ah," Tenten said nodding.

"I see," Lee spoke nodding as well; looking to Kado he tilted his head. "Where is the rest of your team?" he asked suddenly. The taijutsu user hadn't seen them.

Blue eyes looked back to the dance, "Tanjiro is somewhere in the game vender area," he spoke. "I went on ahead of my sensei, though he said he'd come sooner or later."

Giving a small nod Lee looked forward, there was still one question on his mind. "So I guess that means Aza-chan decided to stay home?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kado looked to Lee before smirking. "See for yourself," he said as he uncrossed his arms and pointed into the crowd of dancers.

Straightening himself up, Rock Lee looked over a few heads. His dark eyes wandered for a moment, "Kado I do not see what you-" At that moment, Lee caught a glimpse of silver floating in the air. Moving his head, the genin could see a figure in blue spinning. He couldn't help but grin brightly.

"Azami-chan!"

Green eyes blinked as Azami came out a spin, turning her head in the direction she heard her voice being called from, she smiled. Waving happily at Lee and the rest, the girl broke from the dancers and trotted over to them. "Hello, everyone," Azami said smiling softly.

"Aza-chan, I am very happy to see you!" Lee exclaimed as he put one arm around the girl's waist and pulled her into a big hug.

Azami felt her cheeks heat up briefly as Lee held onto her tight, from embarrassment or not getting enough air, the girl didn't know. "I'm glad...to see you too...Lee," the Kumogakure kunoichi said as she tried to move her face from Lee's chest.

Smiling, Rock Lee let Azami go and held the fish in the plastic bag in front of her. Rubbing the back of his neck, he grinned sheepishly. "This is for you, Azami-chan," Lee said.

"Oh, arigato Lee-kun!" Green eyes brightened as Azami took the bag and looked at the fish inside.

Tenten smiled at the younger girl's reply before putting a hand on her shoulder. "Lee told us that you may not come tonight and he wanted to get you something, you know?" she said.

Azami looked to Tenten and nodded before turning her attention back to Lee. "That was really sweet," she spoke smiling. "I really appreciate it."

"What are friend for Aza-chan," Lee replied smiling as he patted the girl on the back, the girl's grin made him want to smile back as well.

Clearing her throat to get the two's attention, Tenten tilted her head. "How are you feeling Azami?" she questioned. "Lee told us that you haven't been feeling good and that you may not have shown up at the festival."

"I'm fine Tenten-chan, really," Azami said back. "I just needed a little air, that's all." Twirling a piece of hair between her fingers, "besides it's the Welcoming Festival, I couldn't have missed this, also I wanted to try on this furisode Kado had given me."

Rock Lee and the others watched as Azami spun around once to show off her outfit. Unlike a regular furisode, it came to right above her knees and was a silky royal blue color. On the back of the garb was a picture of white bird spreading its wings and around Azami's waist was a black obi. "It's nice isn't it?" Azami asked looking down at herself.

Rock Lee nodded, "it suits you very well!" piped happily.

"Yes, well…she is a member of one of the main clans in Kumogakure. Fancy clothing was always more her style then kunoichi wear."

Heads turned as everyone heard the new voice that stepped into the conversation. Standing there was a group of people, two males and a female. The girl had black hair and blue eyes; she wore a simple gray furisode with a white obi. On her left was a boy with blonde hair and brown eyes and to her right was a male with brown hair and green eyes, all looked around the age of fourteen. Also, somewhere on their person was the Kumogakure haitai-ate.

"Team six," Kado said coolly as he took a step forward, "Eimi Kuromaki, Sato Jurou, and Dai Hatarou, I didn't expect to see you three here." Blue eyes glanced back at Azami who was standing between Tenten and Lee before looking back at the three other shinobi. "I thought you three were going to skip these Chuunin Exams."

Eimi shook her head and smirked, "after our latest mission, our sensei had deemed us worthy to represent our village." Devilish eyes looked to Azami, "good thing to, how are you Aza-_chan_, still twiddling your fingers like a child?"

"Nice to see you too Eimi," Azami said quietly, the girl seemed surprisingly emotionless.

A small humph came from the other Kumogakure kunoichi as she crossed her arms. "Aww, you're no fun," she murmured as she started to walk forward, followed by the other members of her squad. "Hopefully you'll be livelier in the Chuunin Exams, hmm?" Lifting a hand, the girl went to go place a hand on Azami's head, but was stopped. Eimi's blue eyes widened as she saw a hand loosely around her wrist.

"I do not think Azami would like that," Rock Lee said calmly as he let the girl's wrist go. Though the gesture seemed friendly, something about the way Azami acted to Eimi made Lee weary of the girl was well.

Pulling her hand back, Eimi looked at Lee with narrowed eyes. "Whatever," she snapped before she brushed by the group and disappeared into the crowd along with her teammates. "Watch yourselves at the Chuunin Exams, just because we're from the same village doesn't mean we'll go easy on you!" her voice echoed.

Kado watched the team disappear from sight before looking at Azami. "Just our luck for them to show up, huh?" he muttered.

"Yeah, I suppose," Azami said crossing her arms.

Neji looked to the two Kumogakure shinobi, "I guess you do not have a good record with that squad?" he questioned.

It's…complicated," Azami replied softly before looking at Lee, he was looking down at her as well. "Thanks for stopping her," she said after a few moments.

"It was no problem," Rock Lee said nodding, "friends stop things from harming friends."

Azami smiled, "right," she agreed and as she was about to say something else, a loud boom echoed through the air. Looking up, Azami watched a bright blue light flash across her eyes. "Fireworks," she said in awe. The teen stood there for a few moments before looking to the others and smiling. "Come on, let's get a better spot!" With that, Azami ran up the road through the crowd.

"Azami!" Kado yelled to the girl and started to run after the girl followed by Tenten, Neji and Lee. Weaving left and right through the bodies on the street, the shinobi watched as Azami turned and ran onto the grass and started up a hill. Pressing a bit of chakra into his feet, Kado leaped up the hill in three bounds before landing next to Azami who was now sitting on the ground looking to the sky. In a few moments, the others made it as well.

"Wow, this is quite a sight," Rock Lee spoke as he bent his legs and took a spot on grass also. He watched as small spark flew into the air before exploding with a bang and becoming blooming flowers of different colors and sizes.

"Yeah, "Azami murmured a minute later, turning her head the girl looked to Lee and smiled. The way the lights of the fireworks seemed to set on his face perfectly, well to her at least. "To think, after all this, then the Chuunin Exams," she spoke. "It seems to have come too soon."

Lee looked to Azami and tilted his head, "do you feel like you are not ready?" he asked.

Looking to the lightened sky, Azami shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I have to be now right?" she murmured. "Whatever happens, happens but I swear," Green eyes looked to green. "I won't go down without a fight. We made a promise remember?"

Rock Lee watched as Azami held out her pinkie finger and nodded, "of course Aza-chan," he answered as he hooked his pinkie around hers as well. Multiple lights of the fireworks flashed in the sky as the two continued to smile at each other with their pinkies hooked. Though Lee knew the Chuunin Exams would be tough and stressfully, deep inside he knew Azami would make it.

…They would both make it…

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**Well there's the chapter and I hope you've enjoyed (though it was somewhat boring…) Next chapter the Chuunin Exams will be starting and problems will come up that will test the bonds between teammates and friends! So still next time, stayed turned for chapter sixteen of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	16. Chuunin Exam Heartbreak

**HEY, I'M NOT DEAD!!! Sorry for this late update, but summer is my time to chill and writing wasn't at the top of my list! -le gasp- Though I'm back and hopefully, maybe, I'll finish this fanfic by the end of summer (doubting it but I can try!) So this get on with this, I'd like to thank....**

**--Reviewers: Pampers Baby Dry, Sybil Corvax, Riley Baragon, fuyubibi-chan**

**--Alerters: Pampers Baby Dry, 030artastic, Riley Baragon**

**--Favoriters: Pampers Baby Dry, Reconix, Sun-Drop-Candy, Cwizumi, fuyubibi-chan, Sakurakiss234**

**Thank you everyone and now here's the sixteenth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

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_**Chapter 16**_

"So…this is it."

A nod. "Yeah, we've prepared for so long."

"Please, this will be so easy I could do it with my eyes close _and _without you two."

Huff. "Shut it Tanjiro."

Weary, but alert green eyes stared down a long hallway filled with genin from different villages as voices filled hot ears. Azami felt slightly claustrophobic in Konoha's Academy, walking to the first area of the Chuunin Exams the girl was hoping for an open space but instead got a school hallway. Crossing her arms, the teen started walking down the hall following Kado and Tanjiro at a slowly pace. Though she couldn't hear it, Azami was sure she could feel her heart thumping against her chest.

"You're seriously planning on taking the Chuunin Exams with that skill. Yeah right!"

Green eyes focused back on reality as Azami saw people start to gather in a crowd. Lifting her head up, the teen saw a person with shiny black hair on the ground with a hand to his face. "Lee!" Azami yelled as she ran toward him pushing her way through the crowd. Brushing her dark silver hair out of her face, the teen looked at him with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Aza-chan," Rock Lee murmured as he wiped the blood from his lip, he hadn't even noticed she had arrived. "I am alright; there is nothing to worry about." Moving his hand, the taijutsu gave a thumbs up.

"_Lee," _Azami thought as she let a small smile come to her lips before looking forward. Standing there were two other genin, one with dark, spiky hair and two large kunai on his back and the other genin had his haitai-ate on a piece of cloth like a bandana. They were standing in front of a room marked '301.' _"That's our testing room,"_ the kunoichi realized as she stood up. "What's the meaning of this?"

"They won't let us in."

Turning her head, Azami saw Tenten who had her arms crossed. "We tried to talk peacefully but they still haven't let us in," she answered with a frown.

"Hey! We're doing you a favor!" the spiky haired genin yelled. "The Chuunin Exam isn't easy; we've failed it more then once." A smirk played on his lips, "you guys may imagine what it's like, but we've seen it!"

"We're just trying to get rid of the failures early on," the other genin spoke. "Is that so wrong?"

The hallway went silent.

"No, still…you'll let me through"

All heads turned as another genin made his way through the crowd. His Konoha haitai-ate was shown proudly on his forehead and not blocked by his black bangs, his dark eyes rested on the two genin blocking the door. To his left was another boy with blonde hair and blue eyes with strange line marking on his face and two his right was a kunoichi with vibrant green eyes and pink hair.

"Also, you can stop with the genjutsu too."

At that moment, the sound of voices filled the small area with questions of wonder and confusion. The spiky haired male guarding the door smirked at the genin who had spoken. "So you saw?" he questioned.

"Yes," Uchiha Sasuke replied before he turned his head to the female at his side. "Though Sakura, with your knowledge of genjutsu you must have noticed first, right?"

Azami looked to the pink-haired girl she saw Sakura with knowing eyes. She saw the smile the kunoichi had as she looked to the ground. One of thankfulness and love. Green eyes watched as Sakura lifted her head back up with a confident smile.

"Course it was the first thing I noticed," the pink-haired kunoichi spoke. "This is the second floor!"

At that moment the sign above the door seemed to swirl and soon the number '301' wasn't there but '201.' Azami's eyes widened, _"how could we have not noticed that?"_ she thought with slight surprise. Coming out her thoughts, the teen felt a hand being placed on her shoulder and looked to see Kado behind her along with Tanjiro.

"Not bad…but it's going to take more than that to pass these Exams!"

Silver hair waved in the air as Azami turned her head just to see the dark, spiky-haired go to kick Sasuke who had raised his leg to do that same. Though, just before they connected a blur came into view and each boy's foot was caught by a hand. Azami's eyes widen as she saw Lee let go of the two other genin before straightening up and letting a sigh past through his lips.

"He's fast," Kado murmured as he watched Lee's teammates approach the taijutsu user.

"Yeah," Azami barely replied.

Blue eyes looked down at Azami who was staring straight but something seemed to be wrong. Looking up, Kado watched as Rock Lee approached the girl called Sakura. From the other voices around them he couldn't hear what they were saying, but when Lee yelled, he heard it loud and clear.

"Sakura-chan, be my girlfriend! I'll protect you with my life!"

Kado's eyes widened drastically and he glanced to Azami, this wasn't good. The kunoichi's eyes were full of shock and soon she tilted her head to the ground, he could see her nipping at her bottom lip. "Azami?" Kado called uncertainly.

"Let's go."

With that Azami turned on her heel and started to head to the stairs so they could walk up one more flight to the real room '301.' As she did she brushed shoulders with Tanjiro who turned to snap but when he saw her green eyes glaring at him, he surprisingly didn't say a word. Instead he looked to his other teammate who was walking after her.

"What's up with her?"

Kado looked at Tanjiro for a moment, "what? If you're not the one upsetting her you're worried?" he accused before shaking his head. This just had to happen now, "it's nothing, come on."

And as they walked up the stairs to the destination of the first part of the Chuunin Exam, not once did Azami turn back to look at her teammates. The teen kept her head straight and her steps calm. No one would be able to guess the kunoichi's expression, but if she turned her head…

They would be able to see the tears welling up in her eyes.

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**Yes! There are rough seas ahead for our dear Rock Lee, Azami and the others ahead, you didn't think this was going to be all happy, happy did you? Anyway, as usuall comments and constructive critism is welcomed so drop a line! I'll see if I can update this week so till then, have a good one folks!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	17. First Exam Thoughts

**Hey! xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here with the seventeenth chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus! Yep! I updated quickly! For fair warning to chapter is in Azami's point-of-view so if it gets a little confusing I'm sorry and I won't ever do it again...maybe. I just thought the fanfic needed something a little different. I will not be doing the thankyous for this chapter since I updated early, but they'll be on chapter eighteen so for now, sit, lay back and enjoy reading Dance of An Eternal Lotus, Chapter seventeen: First Exam Thoughts.**

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_**Chapter 17**_

The next thirty minutes seemed like a blur to me, I remember walking to the actual Chuunin Exam testing room with Kado and Tanjiro and waiting. During that time, I was out of it, I didn't even move as some shinobi from different villages almost got into a scuffle. And as we were seated and our first Exam -a written test- was passed out to us and the rules were explained by our intimating proctor, I felt myself start to shake. Though it wasn't just out the anticipation of beginning or the fear of the trouble we would get if we were caught cheating, no, it was something _deeper_ than that.

I was hurt.

_She picks up her pencil and green eyes stare at the first question._

Sure, crying while we walked up the stairs helped get the necessary tears out but even now I can feel more trying to make their way to my eyes. I shake my head, I can see him from where I am, he's two rows behind me with his eyes casted down. Letting out a sigh, I can't help but give a bitter smile.

_She fills in the first box, Shinobi Rule #58_

I know he isn't mine and I can say that knowingly. I should be happy that we have such a great friendship and he _does_ care for me-even if it's not in the way that I care for him…I think. Though what am I missing? Is there something that I don't have that he's looking for? I want to know, I want to know _what_.

_Pink tresses come into view._

I will confess though, I think she's unique with her pink hair and green eyes; which are a shade lighter than mine by the way. She also did notice that there was a genjutsu one the door when no one else. Tanjiro didn't even know and his family is strongest in that field. Unique and smart, that's something everyone looks for.

_The pencil moves slowly, question two: Four hundred and seventy-two miles_

Though she has something else, it was the way she looked when she told everyone the truth. Her eyes seemed to gleam with a pride that said 'you didn't know but _I_ did.' She didn't even flinch when all eyes looked at her with shock and confusion. Right…

It's confidence.

_The pencil bends slightly as the hand around it tightens_

A quality that Lee shows in himself as well. He shows it with every kick and punch he does, in every sparring match with Neji and in every little aspect. I guess that's what drew me to him, the pride he has in himself. I started to see that the more and more I hung out with him and in a small, odd way…..he became _my_ confidence.

_The hand loosens_

Maybe that's why it hurts, it's because I don't want to lose him. I've gained confidence that I never had before and now that I feel like it could go to another person…it scares me. I owe it to him, and without him I would still be a crab stuck in its shell. Is that selfish of me? To want him because he gives me that boost?

_The clock ticking can be heard, it's been forty minutes_

Yes, yes it is.

_Green eyes skip over to question six_

Yet, deep inside I know that isn't all. It's not just his confidence or his smile, it's _him._ It's Lee just being Lee while he tries to move through life as a shinobi. A life that could bring an innocent person to their knees and make them commit crimes they thought they _never _could. Though it's just the beginning for us genin, he's managed to keep true to himself.

"_Time's up!"_

_Shouts of 'what' and 'come on' echoed through the testing room but Ibiki Morino paid no mind to them. "Now for the tenth question," he said coolly as he looked around at the genin, "you have a choice to either do this question or not." Seeing the relief on some of the genins' faces, the man smirked. "Though if you choose not to take it, both you and your teammates will fail this test and if you take it and get the wrong answer, none of you will EVER be able to take the Chuunin Exams again!"_

Though I doubt I can do that.

"_So, if you want to quit, raise your hand."_

I feel my fingers drop around my pencil and my hand slowly starts to make its way to the air. I could end this right now and be done with it. Once we returned to Kumogakure, I could give up my title as a kunoichi. Kado and Tanjiro would receive another teammate; they deserved someone better than me.

"_DON'T COUNT ME OUT YET!"_

_All eyes turned to a spiky-haired, blonde shinobi; he was sitting straight with a fiery look in his eyes. "Even if I'm a genin forever, it won't stop my dream of becoming Hokage!" he yelled. "I will not back down!"_

_Green eyes stare at Naruto with shock, he wants to become Hokage? Suddenly, a smile graces Azami's lips as realization hits her. Slowly, the girl lowers her hand and places it on her desk. _

But I can't. They're depending on me, it's either we all pass or we all fail.

And…

_Ibiki stared back at Naruto with an unnerving gaze. "I will ask again," he pauses, "your future rides of this decision, this is your last chance to get up and leave."_

…I want to show him that I've grown…

_Blue eyes narrowed and a smirk appeared across a whisker-marked face. "I'll follow my ninja way," the genin said. _

...I want him to be the first one to know my Nindo...

_Ibiki smirked, "if this is all your final decision," he bellowed as he looked over all the waiting genin. _

So, I'll try to remain strong even though I can feel myself breaking. I'll be happy that Lee has found a girl that he wants to protect with everything and I'll back him up all the way, like a precious friend _should. _I'll keep to the promise we made that afternoon in the training field though things have changed a bit. And from now on…

"_Congratulations! You've all passed the first part of the Chuunin Exams!"_

I'll start making my own confidence.

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**And that's the chapter, Azami is being a bit noble, ne? The reason I didn't spend much time going through the whole First Exam is because I find it kind of the bore and I didn't want you guys to sit through that, the I guess most of you guys would just skim it, right? Anyway, as always comments and constructive critism are welcomed so drop a line! The next update will maybe be this week if I'm not busy, so till then!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx**


	18. Second Exam Anticipation

**I'M BAAAACK! Hey everyone, it's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx with a new chapter for Dance of An Eternal Lotus. I'm wicked sorry I haven't update in so long, but my new school seriously takes everything out of me. I'll try to work on the chapter as much as I can now since things are starting to settle down a bit. Anywho, since I'm done ranting, I would like to thank:**

**--Reviewers: Ominous Blue, EchoesXGrace, Sorrows Passion, Moonsetta, TwilightAnimeLover21, Sybil Corvax**

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**THANKYOU ALL SO MUCH! Now I present the eighteenth chapter to Dance of An Eternal Lotus! Enjoy!**

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**_Chapter 18_**

The early morning sun shined down relentlessly on the earth as Azami sat on a large boulder. In her lap was a large packet and in her right hand she held a pen. Sighing, the teen turned her gaze to the small, dense forest that was in front of her with gates around its perimeter. "Is it really that dangerous?" she spoke to herself as she flipped a page in the packet she had, "that we actually have to sign liability forms?"

"Well, yeah. It's the Forest of Death."

Looking to her side, Azami gave a small smile as she saw Kado make his way onto the bolder and took a spot next to her. "That's true," she murmured in agreement, "a lot of teams don't make it pass this point right?"

Kado nodded, "yeah, this is really how they weed out the ones who don't have the capability to work under pressure," he answered as he looked to the Forest of Death. Turning his attention back to the kunoichi, the genin raised an eyebrow. "Are you done signing your forms?" he asked.

"Yeah," Azami spoke as she folded her packet back to the first page. "I'll take them to the booth, sitting on this rock and starting to hurt." Letting out a small laugh, the teen hopped off boulder. She smiled as Kado handed her his packet and looked through it to discover Tanjiro's was also in there. "Where is Tanjiro anyway?" she asked.

Kado looked to the side, "waiting around near gate six," he answered saying the number of where they were supposed to start the second exam. "I'll probably head over there as well."

Azami nodded, "alright, I'll see you two over there then," she said and with that, the genin turned on her heel and started walking. As she did, she walked passed teams from different villages with her head casted downward. Azami's thoughts raced with every step she took, would they be able to make and through this stage of the exam or would they fail? _"No! Don't think like that!"_ Azami scolded herself, _"Confidence! You know that the team has the ability to adapt and conquer."_ Green eyes looked to the tops of the dark trees. "Though I can't help but wonder…"

At that moment, the teen let out a yelp as she hit something and felt herself fall back. Though instead of hitting the ground, Azami felt a hand wrap around her wrist and hold her. Looking up, the teen met dark eyes and she for a moment she felt as if she couldn't breathe. The kunoichi only managed out one name, "Lee."

"Azami-chan, I am so sorry," was the first thing the taijutsu user said as he completely pulled Azami back to her feet. "I was not paying attention, are you alright?"

Pulling her hand away from Lee, Azami straightened up, the promise she made during the first exam floated into her mind. _"Make your own confidence, make your own confidence,"_ she thought. "There is no need to worry, Lee-san" Azami finally said, her voice was surprisingly cool. "It was just a bump, it's not like you rammed me or anything."

Rock Lee gave Azami a funny look as he listened to her way of speech, it wasn't normal. "Ah, right," the male spoke, almost unsure what to say. Glancing down, Lee saw the packets the kunoichi held in her hands and smiled. "So you're passing in your team's packets?" he questioned.

Azami briefly looked down at her hands with the packets before looking up at Lee, she gave a small nod. "Yeah," she said blankly before looking at the papers in his hand, "and you?" she questioned.

Lee shifted slightly, "yes, though I must go retrieve Neji's before I make my way to the booth," he answered back.

"Well, I won't hold you up then, Lee-san," Azami spoke as she slowly started to walk by the taijutsu user. Deep inside, the kunoichi felt bad that she was being so cold around Lee now and the way he looked at her only made her feel worse.

"Azami-chan!"

Stopping in mid-step, the female turned her head back and her eyes widened. Lee was grinning at her and giving her a thumbs up. "I shall see you during the third stage of the Chuunin Exams!" he proclaimed. "We made a promise remember?"

Looking at Lee, Azami couldn't help but let a smile spread to her lips. She gave a graceful nod, "of course Lee," she said and with another nod turned and continued to walk to the booth. Though the teen couldn't help but look back at Lee's retreating back as she went. Feeling an odd felling well up inside her, the kunoichi let out a sigh. _"Can I really do this?"_ she thought.

Making it to the booth, Azami dropped the packets on the desk and blinked as the person at the desk handed her a bag. Giving a brief nod, the teen made her way along the gate of the Forest of Death until she saw her two teammates and a jounin standing there. "Did I miss anything?" she questioned as she reached them.

Tanjiro let out a huff, "no just some idiot blond messing with the proctor," he spoke. Looking to the kunoichi, he reached over and took the bag from her hand and opened it. "We have an Earth scroll," he stated.

"So any Heaven scroll team will be our target," Azami added.

"Well duh," Tanjiro snapped suddenly.

"Tanjiro, shut your mouth," Kado butted in as he watched the jounin by their gate take the lock off the wire. "Listen, we're going to have to put the fighting aside while we're in the Forest of Death. We'll complete our objective as fast as we can, got it? There's no time for screw-ups, our lives are on the line."

Tanjiro and Azami looked at Kado, but there was no surprise in their eyes. Ever since they first became a team it was always him who took charge when need. After a moment, both genin nodded.

"Good," Kado said and as he heard a feminine voice yell the word 'GO' he looked at his teammates and the three took off into the deadly forest. "Hey guys," Kado said coolly catching the attention of his teammates again. "Just be careful, alright?"

Tanjiro looked at Kado with a raised eyebrow before scoffing, "you should be speaking for yourself," he spoke gruffly.

Green eyes rolled at Tanjiro's comment but Azami nodded to Kado. "No need to worry," she spoke. "We'll all be fine." A small smile graced the kunoichi's lips as she and her team continued to move quickly into the heart of the Forest of Death. They'd be fine, they were smart and though they didn't know what they were up against, they'd find a way to deal with it. A spark of hopefulness shined in Azami's eyes, _"we'll make it…I know we will."_

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**Well there's the chapter! Will Azami's team make it through the Forest of Death or fail? You'll just have to wait and see! Hopefully I'll update next weekend or this week depending on the school workload, but I'll try to get chapter nineteen out as fast as possible. As always comments and constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated. So until next time, bye everybody!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
**


	19. An Early Defeat?

**Hey! xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here! Yeah, me a bad author for not posting sooner, my apologies. I thank god for Thanksgiving break huh? Anywho, this is the nineteen chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus, thought before we begin, I'd like to thank:**

**-- Reviewers: Sybil Corvax, Leite Destiny, 030artastic, electrogirl88, Ashten Knight, Gretel-the-Dragon**

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**THANKYOU ALL, YOU GUYS ROCK! Now I present you with the nineteen chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto whatsoever. Got it? Got it? Good!  
**

* * *

**_Chapter 19_**

The silence of the Forest of Death was almost too loud for Rock Lee's ears. There he was sitting on an old knocked over trunk of a tree with Tenten and Neji sitting around a small fire. Wearily, the male's eyes glanced left to right as the shadows around him twisted and swirled from the brightness of the flame. Letting out a sigh, he rested his chin as he let his mind wander. Something was bugging him, well, more like _someone_.

Azami

Never had Rock Lee thought the kunoichi would give him somewhat of a cold shoulder, but just the way she had talked to him before they entered the forest of death bugged him. _"perhaps she was just nervous,"_ the taijutsu user thought before quickly shaking his head. He knew Azami better than that, if she was feeling uneasy she would have told him, right?" Letting out another sigh, Rock Lee rubbed his fingers against his temples, _"What did I miss?"_

"Lee, are you even listening?"

Blinking, the genin looked up to see both his teammates looking at him questionably. Laughing slightly, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I am sorry," Rock Lee apologized. "What did you say?"

Sighing, Tenten only shook her head. "I swear Lee, you've been pretty out of it ever since we started the second exam," she said. "Try to focus, kay?"

"Yes, we don't need you holding us down," Neji added as he crossed his arms. Pearl-like eyes looked to the dwindling fire. "The sun will be up soon and most of the teams are sleeping," he stated. "We'll split up and scout the area before meeting back here in thirt minutes." The Hyuuga looked to the other genin, "this will be the perfect time to attack, but even if you find another team, still come back in thirty minutes," Neji added. "Got it?"

Tenten nodded in agreement, "no problem," she said.

For a moment Rock Lee remained silent before taking a deep breath. _"They're right," _he thought. _"I must focus and then when I see Azami again, I'll ask her what's wrong." _Nodding to himself on his idea, Lee gave Neji a salute. "Roger!" he finally said.

Smirking at his teammates, Neji nodded content to see them taking things seriously. "Alright," he spoke after a moment as he took a kunai out. Swinging it down, he watched as it embedded itself into the ground. An easy marker for them to know where to meet back up. "Go!" Neji commanded and at that moment all three genin took off in different directions. Their objective was the only thing on their minds.

* * *

"Hey, wake up."

Forest green eyes snapped opened immediately as Azami heard a voice break through her dreamless sleep. Looking up as she Kado looked down at her with a small smile before turning her head to see Tanjiro putting water over the small fire they had built. She watched as the fire quickly faded to steam before looking back up. "Time to move out?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Kado replied with a small nod. With a raised eyebrow he watched as Azami let out a small yawn before moving herself out from under the large tree roots she had decided to use for her bed. To him, she seemed oddly exhausted. "Azami, are you okay?" Kado asked.

Stretching her arms into the air, the kunoichi looked at her teammate. "Just got a lot on my mind, that's all," Azami spoke quietly before smiling. "Though that's how most girls are, right?"

Kado stared at the kunoichi for a few moments before shrugging, "right," he said back, but couldn't help but wonder. Azami had been able to sleep six hours since she did the first night watch, so why would she be so tired now? Shaking his head, Kado let out a sigh. Perhaps this forest was getting to his head. Turning his gaze, the genin looked to Tanjiro. "You have everything?" he asked.

"Of course I know better than to leave any trace that we were here," Tanjiro snapped but soon after yawned. Rubbing his eyes he focused back on his team. "Lets go then," he said.

Without another word, all three of the shinobi jumped into the trees and started to move. As they did, Kado kept wearily glancing back at Tanjiro and Azami. Both of them looked as if they hadn't slept a good night in the last week which he knew wasn't true. _"They were fine yesterday," _he thought. _"It was just after they slept tonight-" _Blue eyes widened slightly, both Azami and Tanjiro had slept on the ground while he had slept on a tree branch high up. "Guys, move!" he commanded.

Green eyes widened as Azami heard kunai wiz through the air and quickly dodged out of the way. Spinning, she grabbed onto a thin branch with her hand before looking around wildly. "Kado, Tanjiro, where are you!" she yelled. She felt lost without her teammates in sight and that feel only go worse when she heard a chuckle. Looking up, Azami saw a figure standing on a branch a few feet above her. She couldn't see their face, but the Grass symbol on their hatai-ate shined in the early morning light as clear as day.

"Well it seems your teammate was smart enough to figure out something was up," a male voice spoke. "Too bad for you though." At that moment the shinobi flung a kunai at Azami and the teen dodged, but only to be caught by a kick to her side. The guy was fast! "I mean really, how sad can you be to call out for your teammates?" he questioned as he watched Azami slowly get up. "They'll let anyone be a shinobi these days, huh?"

Eyes narrowed as Azami looked to the ground as the male moved closer to her with another kunai in his hand. The blade glistened, but the kunoichi didn't care. _"M-Maybe he's right,"_ she thought as she felt her eyes become watery. _"I-I'm not fit to be a shinobi." _Slowly, the kunoichi's eyes closed as the male stopped in front of her. _"Maybe I should just-"_

"AZAMI!"

Green orbs widened as the kunoichi looked up to find Kado in front of her with the kunai sticking out of his arm. Watching as their opponent jumped back and her teammate ripped the weapon from his skin, Azami tightened her hand into a fist. "Kado are you-"

"-I'll be fine," Kado replied quickly before a loud explosion was heard. Both genin turned their heads to see Tanjiro come flying at them before landing on the branch. "Guess we're all here now," he spoke before looking around them, now they had three enemies surrounding them. "They've been watching us the whole night" he stated. "The reason we didn't know is because they used a poison to mess with our senses. That's why you two were so drowsy this morning, you both slept on the ground."

"Heh, he's a smart one, ain't he?" A feminine voice said with a small laugh. "Kind of cute too, oh well!" Smiling, the girl jumped forward aiming for Kado, but was pushed back from a powerful kick from Tanjiro. Catching herself, she looked at the male with a glare. "You little brat!" she yelled.

Brown eyes looked at the kunoichi and Tanjiro shrugged, "you're the one rushing stupidly at us." In that moment, the male formed hand-signs, "Water element: Snaking Whips Technique!" he yelled as the water from under the tree he was currently on shot up from the ground and struck at the female. Smirking, Tanjiro jumped after her.

Turning her eyes away from her teammate, Azami looked at the other two opponents that were looking down at them. The teen went to move forward, but stopped as an arm was put out in front of her. Green orbs met blue ones, "Kado," she murmured.

"You're still tired Azami," the dark-haird boy said with a small smile, "just stay here and keep safe, alright?" Looking forward, Kado glared at the two Grass shinobi. "I'll take care of this." With a fluid motion, the genin jumped forward while taking out a few shuriken and launched them at each opponent. Using the distraction he created quick hand-signs before putting his fingers to his lips, "Wind Element: Slicing Air Technique!" As Kado blew out a large gust of wind came from his mouth striking his enemies, cuts and scraps appeared on their bodies because of the chakra he had sent through the air.

Watching Kado as he fought, Azami held her hands to her chest praying for his safety. She knew her teammate was an excelled fighter but with two opponents, she couldn't help worry. _"Please Kado don't doing anything that could seriously hurt you,"_ she thought. The teen's green eyes widened as she saw both Grass shinobi come at Kado and the three started to trade blows in the air. For a few minutes she could easily see that her teammate had the upper hand, but soon she noticed that his moments were losing momentum and he was breathing heavily. _"What's going on?"_ Azami thought as she took a step forward.

"Heh, it seems like the poison is finally kicking in," the male Grass shinobi said as he punched Kado across the face making the teen stumbled. "You don't think I would have attack with that single kunai for nothing, right?" Smirking, he swung his leg around and kicked Kado away, while grabbing the bag off his back, the sound of snapping could be heard as he connected with a tree and the bark splint.

"Kado!" Azami screamed as she jumped from the branch she was on and towards her teammate. Landing next to him she shook his body to only discover he was completely out of it. _"Why? Why did you have to get hurt?"_ she thought angrily before looking up to see a shadow fly over her, "Tanjiro! Kado's hurt!" she yelled.

Dark eyes widened at the remark and the genin just growled. "The guy can't even take care of himself," Tanjiro muttered as he dodged a punch from his opponent. "Just watch after him!" he yelled. "I can do this by myself!"

"_No, no Tanjiro you can't,"_ Azami thought worriedly, she could see he was getting tired as well. "We can't win like this," she muttered as she pulled out a kunai and wrapped a piece of paper around it. Letting out a cry she threw it up into the air before making a hand-sign with a hand, "katsu!" she yelled and the tag exploded leaving behind a black mist.

"Urgh! It's a smoke bomb!" one of the enemy shinobi yelled.

Putting one of Kado's arms over her shoulder, Azami jumped up to where Tanjiro was and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. Pushing chakra into her feet, she took off with amazing speed. They had to get away and regroup; it was foolish to fight when there were too many odds against you. Gridding her teeth, Azami's eyes narrowed. _"It's my entire fault,"_ she thought. _"It's my fault Kado got hurt trying to protect me, we failed and it's my fault." _Shutting her eyes tightly, Azami could only feel the tightening in her chest. _"I'm sorry." _Soon tears started to run from the kunochi's eyes. Though she felt sweat running down her forehead as she ran as fast she can dragging her team, never before had she felt so cold inside.

* * *

**Yep, and that's the chapter. Will Azami's team be able to recover from this defeating loss or our their days as shinobi at an end even though they have barely began? You'll have to find out in the next chapter! As always, comments and constructive criticism is always welcome and I'll be waiting to hear. Until then, have a good day and happy belated Thanksgiving!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
**


	20. Our True Colors

**Hello everybody! It's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx finally back with the newest Chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus! I'm sorry for the wait but with a new school and all I've really just been trying to keep up this year and thankfully this weekend I had nothing important to do! Though I would really like to say thankyou for those who have stuck to this fanfic, you really are the ones that keep this on my mind and remind me** **that I MUST write! Alright, now as always the people who review and all those nice things:**

**Reviewers: 030artastic, Freehawk, Emma-Chanz, Sybil Corvax, **

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**Now without further delay, here's chapter twenty of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!  
**

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**_Chapter 20_**

"What the heck was that!"

Tanjiro was angry, no, furious! His steps were loud and raging as he walked back and forth in the large hollow under a tree. Raising a hand he took a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his brown hair. "We could have won!" the genin snapped angrily before turning his head. Pointing to the side, he glared. "Yet you had to pull us away!" Tanjiro yelled. "What were you thinking?!"

Sullen green eyes looked to the fuming shinobi for a moment before Azami looked down to Kado. The male was laying out a blanket she had brought with a lightly soaked cloth on his head. Currently, Kado's arm was resting on her legs as she gently dabbed at the kunai wound that was there. The poison wasn't extremely dangerous, but Azami knew he'd have problems moving since the toxin affected the motion sensory part of his brain.

"Are you even listening?!"

"I am," Azami sighed in sadness as she turned her attention to Tanjiro. "I know it seemed like a bad idea, but we weren't going to make it!" Biting on her lower lip, the teen turned her head to the side. "One thing about being a shinobi is knowing when you're beat and being smart about making a retreat," Azami stated. "At least then you can leave with something."

A wry laugh came from Tanjiro's lips and he shook his head. "We left with nothing Azami!" he retorted. "They have the scroll and it's already the afternoon, I highly doubt we'll be able to recover an Earth and Heaven scroll in that time!" Brown eyes glared at the kunoichi. "We've failed!"

"How dare you!" Azami yelled which made her teammate look at her in surprise. Taking a deep breath, she focused back on Kado and gently ran her fingers through his hair; a small smile appeared on her lips as he shifted slightly. "We got away with our lives, that's what is important," she stated as she took out a roll of bandages and tenderly started to wrap Kado's arm. "Without that, we'd be nowhere."

"That's not the-"

"-Tanjiro, just shut it," Azami commanded as she looked to her teammate to see him staring back at her. His chest was heaving slightly and his hands were shaking, the kunoichi couldn't help but let the expression on her face soften. "Listen, I know you're angry, but don't let that overtake you," she murmured. "We still have a chance, we just have to think out a strategy." Sighing, Azami looked back down at Kado as she continued her work. "I'm sorry I did that alright, but in the situation I thought it as the best choice."

Silence filled the area as Tanjiro kept his eyes on the kunoichi, an inner struggle could be seen in his eyes. Though as his clenched hand loosened and he let out a breath, it was clear to see he had decided to let it go. "So," Tanjiro paused as he looked at the entrance to the bottom of the tree, "what's this plan of yours?"

Azami couldn't help but smile, it seemed her teammate had decided to come to his senses. Moving Kado's bandage arm from her grasp, the teen stood up and walked towards Tanjiro. "This will involve a bit of defense and offense," she explained as she stopped in front of the male. Her green orbs stared into his dark ones, "but we need to be able to rely on each other," she added. Raising a hand, Azami held it out. "For this one time, do you think you can trust me Tanjiro?" she questioned.

Brown eyes looked down at the hand in front of them before looking back at the face of the female. _"Trust her, huh?"_ Tanjiro thought to himself before turning his head to the right in the direction of Kado. For a moment his face was expressionless though soon his right hand moved. Grasping Azami's, the genin shook his hand slightly. "Deal," Tanjiro murmured.

"Good," Azami replied as she let go of the genin's hand. Just by the look in his eyes she could tell he wanted to win. Tanjiro wasn't one to admit defeat till he was dead or dying, or that's at least home Azami saw it. Smiling, Azami crossed her arms and closed her eyes. They're opponents had caught them off guard once, but it would not happen a second time. She'd make sure of that.

"Alright, this is what we'll do…"

* * *

"Hurry up Kana!" one of the Grass shinobi yelled back to his female teammate. A small smirk was on his face, this part of the exam had been easier than he thought it would be. With the Earth and Heaven scroll in their grasp, they were assured a part in the third exam. Turning his head, the male looked to his next teammate. "Ryu, since we're early we can rest a night, right?" he questioned.

"Yes we could Iwao, but I wouldn't recommend it," the other shinobi said. "I rather not have us get attacked."

Iwao let out a huff of air and rolled his eyes, jumping down from the tree he was in he looked to the others. "Please, the tower isn't that far away, I think we can rest," he stated. The male walked forward, "besides we're in a clearing, if someone wanted to attack we'd see them first!" Yet just as the male said that, his foot caught onto a thin wire and soon smoke filled the air. "Crap!" Iwao yelled as he twisted to get the wire off though as soon as he did a gust of wind seemed to come out of nowhere and blow him in the opposite direction. "Kana, Ryu!" he shouted looking for his teammates yet as if appearing out of the blue, Iwao's eyes connected with orbs shades darker than his own and the male found himself surrounded by water and sinking fast. A seemingly silent scream escaped his lips.

- - - - - -

Hearing the scream of her teammate, Kana whirled around trying to locate him. After the blast of wind she felt discombobulated and had wondered wildly trying to find the area is was in before. "Damn it Iwao, you couldn't just listen to Ryu could you?" she muttered as she jumped from branch to branch. "Idiot, I don't even know how you became a genin." Glancing down, Kana jumped to another branch though as she did something caught her eye. Standing near a tree there was a figure and her eyes widened as she realized it was one of the genin from before, Kado. Pivoting on her foot, Kana glared. "So, you've come back for another beating haven't you!" she yelled as she took out a kunai. "Well, I'll give it to you then!" Jumping from the branch, Kana launched forward with her weapon straight at Kado. She watched the male try to dodge, but she moved quick enough to stab him in a chest. A smirk graced her lips.

_Poof!_

"What!" Kana yelled in surprise as the substitute jutsu reveal a log in before she could react, a punch was delivered to her cheek sending her flying into a tree. Shaking her head, the kunoichi slowly got up and turned to her attacker. Her eyes narrowed, "you!" she yelled.

Azami took a breath as she stared at the other angry teen, things had worked out great. With the team split up, she and Tanjiro could take them out one by one with minimal difficulty, well hopefully. Getting into her fighting stance, Azami kept her eyes on her opponent. "You defeated us once but it won't happen again," she spoke coolly. "I want our scroll back!"

"Then take it!" Kana yelled as she gritted as she started to form hand-signs and the ground started to shake. "Earth Style: Ground Crater!" she yelled and soon the ground under her and Azami started to break up and as she saw her opponent's eyes widened, Kana launched forward and spun her body kicking Azami in the stomach. Yet the other kunoichi held her ground as she skidded back and made a sequence of hand-signs of her own.

"Earth Style: Serpent Vines!" Azami yelled as the deep rooted vines of the trees came form the now broken ground and wrapped around Kana before swinging the kunoichi into the ground. Taking a deep breath, Azami smiled as she watched her opponent struggle to get up, but as she started to hear and eerie creaking her eyes widened. Looking up, green eyes saw the trees starting to titter back in forth. _"The ground is too broken to hold themselves up and with the roots stabilizing them as well that just means more trouble,"_ Azami thought and as she first tree fell, the kunoichi quickly moved as the others followed. Back and forth she jumped to get out of the way of the falling lumber as it raised the dust from the ground and as soon as it began, it stopped. Coughing, Azami looked around her dusty surroundings while keeping alert. _"Where did she go?" _the kunoichi thought though before she could notice, Azami felt something wrap around her limbs and around her neck before she was pulled into the air. Struggling, the female managed to look to the side to see chakra wires wrapped around her and soon a laugh reached her lips. With the dust settling, she could see Kana who had chakra strings attached to her fingers and as she curled them, the wires around Azami became tighter.

"What was that about taking your scroll back?" Kana said with a smirk as she walked towards the other kunoichi, the dust had really worked to her advantage. With Azami temporarily distracted she managed to form the wires around the area with detection. "Face it girl, you don't have what it take," Kana said coolly. "You should have given up when we had taken your scroll the first time. The female curled her fingers in more and watched as Azami's breathing became shakier. "It's always best to quit if you know you can't do it," she murmured.

Silver hair clung to Azami's cheeks as she focused on staying conscious, she could feel the air leaving her body. Curling her fingers slightly, she managed to make her hands into fists. Her plan she had had worked against her, _"I should have paid attention more!"_ the female scolded herself. _"I feel so stupid!"_ Closing her eyes, Azami let her head fall forward and bit on her bottom lip. What could she do?

"_Now, are you actually asking that?"_

For a moment, Azami felt as if the wires around her disappeared from her body and opened her eyes. The area around her was black though there was a light shining on her from an unknown place. Looking forward, the female's eyes widened as she someone that surprised her; herself. Though…she seemed a little different. She stood with crossed arms and a smirk on her lips with a confident air. The thing that struck Azami most was her eyes, instead of their usual green there was a ring of silver lining the edging but she wasn't sure if it was because of the light or something else. Swallowing the dryness from her throat, Azami blinked.

"_What's with you?"_ the other her asked with a tilt of the head. _"Are you surprised to see yourself? I mean this is __your__ mind." _The female crossed her arms, _"though that's not the important thing, you have a fit to win! You're still in the chuunin exams you know."_

Azami bowed her head, "I know but everything just seems so useless," she muttered. "I'm not the greatest in ninjutsu or genjutsu, I'm even starting to feel like my taijutsu is falling behind." Azami bit on her bottom lip, "I just know-"

"_What do you know?"_ the other Azami snapped making the actual girl pick her head up. _"You don't really know what's going to happen to you? You don't even know the outcome of this fight, the battle is never decided until the first person falls." _Walking over to her, the Azami smiled and gently placed her palm on her counterpart's cheek, _"though what you do know is that you're smart. You made the choice to save your teammates and try again, you even came up with this plan." _She smiled slightly, _"if a shinobi has a great mind there is no doubt that they'll succeed."_

Azami sighed, "but-"

"_No buts!" _Azami said, this time with a harsher tone. _"Stop doubting yourself so much and go for it! Learn to stand on your own two feet and fight!" _Silvery emerald eyes narrowed, _"You want to be like your mother and sister right, you want to make your own decisions in life, right?!" _A huff came from her, _"then start here, right now,"_ she concluded. _"Kunoichi have made their way in this world and it's time you start doing the same. As yourself, I'm telling you it's time to make your mark." _

For a few moments Azami remained silent as she let those words run through her head. The part of her that was so hesitant seemed to crumble slightly and soon she realized this really was her. What the other her had said was what she wanted, it was what she was _feeling_. Taking a breath, Azami looked at her conscious and soon gave a small nod which made the other smile. She had come this far and though a usually content person, that stubborn part of her wouldn't dare let her turn back.

* * *

Kana let out a sigh as she watched Azami hand limply from her wires, this was dull. She had thought the other kunoichi was going to put up more of a fight but it didn't seem like it. "Ah well," she muttered. "Just one less problem for me, now I just have to find the other two idiots." Undoing the wires from her fingers, Kana turned and started to walk. As soon as she found her teammates they would be on their way to the tower and then to the final exam, this really was like a walk in the park. Suddenly, Kana was brought out of her thoughts as she felt an immense chakra pattern from behind her and turning her head, her eyes widened as she saw the wires snap from around Azami and for a moment she thought the female was going to fall but as she simply floated down her eyes grew. _"Wind chakra?"_ she thought with amazement.

"D-Don't count me out yet," Azami said as she slowly reopened her eyes, there was something different about them. That once hopeless gaze seemed to have disappeared and was replaced with one that was more calm and even calculating. "I'm not leaving here with those scrolls," the teen announced. "I will become a chuunin and if I have to fight my hardest, so be it!"

Kana's felt the wind get knocked out of her as Azami launched forward and punched her in the gut. _"What's with her? She wasn't this way before!"_ she thought as she pivoted and kick the girl in the side hard but Azami stood her ground and instead grabbed her foot. A gasp came from Kana as her opponent with a powerful heave flung though before she hit the ground, Kana reached into her weapons pouch and threw three kunai at Azami.

"_Don't stop,"_ Azami thought as she felt two kunai hit her arm but she pulled them out quickly and ran forward while forming hand signs. "Earth Style: Spinning disc!" she yelled and running her hand along the soft ground, Azami's chakra bound to it forming it into small circle that soon grew as the chakra attracted it. Lifting it up, the female had a spinning disc of rock and dirt with sharp edges and allowing her body to twist she threw it at Kana.

"Idiot, you think that will be enough!" the kunoichi yelled as she jumped up to avoid the ninjutsu though as she looked forward her eyes went wind as she no longer saw Azami in front of her. At that moment, Kana felt something come crashing down on her shoulder making her slam into the ground. The wind had been knocked out of her lungs again but this time she couldn't catch her breath as five sharp pillars of rock came down. A scream came from the kunoichi's lips as she thought they were going to pierce through her but as a sound came but no pain, Kana's scared eyes reopened. "W-What?" she said confused.

Azami landed on the ground and looked at her opponent, the rock spears had went angled themselves different ways around Kana so if she tried to move she couldn't get herself loose. "To doubt your opponent's strength is a careless thing," she murmured as she walked over to the girl and reaching her hand between the spears, she grabbed the female's bag and brought it towards her. "Though…not realizing what you can do is also foolish." Emerald eyes looked at Kana as Azami straightened up and reaching into the pack she smiled as she felt a familiar object.

"So what? Are you saying you could have done this from the beginning?" Kana questioned as she watch Azami pull out the Heaven scroll, she clicked her tongue against her teeth in annoyance. "Though us gaining your scroll in the first place wasn't just a fluke, so how?"

Azami placed the bag back on the ground near Kana and held the scroll tightly in her hand as she thought. "I just needed a little push," she murmured. "Nothing else to it." Green eyes close, "to be better, I have to learn there are times when I'm going to stand alone and if I want to be at the top of my game, I'm going to have to learn to deal with it…even if it's tough."

"Azami!"

Emerald eyes looked up as Azami watched as Tanjiro came down and she smiled as she saw what he had in his hand, the earth scroll. _"So one of the other teammates had it,"_ she thought and soon gave a nod of approval. "Good, now all there's left to do is go pick up Kado and book it," she murmured.

Tanjiro gave a nod, "right," he answered though his mind seemed to be somewhere else. The male was focusing on his surroundings and then to the female that now laid trapped by the spikes of rock. _"Did Azami really do all this?_" he thought as he looked to the kunoichi on his team. In a way she seemed different, she didn't look down when she talked but instead kept eye level with him and didn't show a hint of being weary. What had happened to her?

"Tanjiro."

Coming out of his thoughts, the shinobi looked to Azami as she turned and started to walk. Yet after a few paces she stopped and turned her head back to him slightly. An emerald eye appeared out from under her silver hair and a serious but calm expression graced her features. Though Tanjiro wouldn't admit it now, in that battle Azami had grown. Taking a breath, the male moved forward following after his teammate as she tilted her head up. With some of the tress falling over she was able to see the clear blue sky.

"Lets go."

* * *

**Whoa, long wasn't it? Though yes, Azami is starting to show some interesting things and maybe Tanjiro isn't as bad as everyone thinks? Now with their scrolls, how will the Kumogakure team fair in the next leg of the Exams, well...you'll just have to wait and see! I don't know when I will update again but hopefully it won't be as long as this one. Well that's all for now and till next time folks, I'm out!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
**


	21. Preliminary Confusion

**YAY! I updated! Hello everyone it's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here to give you the twenty-first chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus! Now, I will admit this may be a bit of a boring chapter but it does show things that will help the fanfic process. Now I would like to do my usual thankyous (not that many but that's because I updated early so eh!:**

**Reviewers: 030artastic, Sybil Corvax **

**Alerters: Sybil Corvax**

**Thankyou so so much! Now here's the next chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

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**_Chapter 21_**

The sound of footsteps moving back and forth echoed through Lee's mind as he sat on a bench in the tower in the Forest of Death. His team had arrived a few hours before and even though now he could relax he found himself on edge. During the exam he had found Sakura being attacked and though things turned out in their favor (and his for getting on the kunoichi's grateful side) he couldn't help but feel a certain pit in his stomach. This just had seemed so weird in the event, the sound village shinobi they faced and not to mention one of Sakura's teammates, Sasuke. Rock Lee wasn't sure if it was just him, but something about the male seemed off. More…darker. _"No, it must be just me,"_ the taijutsu user thought as he shook his head. _"It's just all in my head, right?"_

At that moment, dark eyes glanced up as the sound of the door leading to the sitting room in the tower opened. After seeing who it was, Lee lowered his head slightly. The sand symbol glistened in the light as the team walked by but the male found his eyes trained on a certain person. A genin with deep red hair and almost cerulean eyes, a stoic and emotionless air followed him. Rock Lee didn't know what but as the team passed the room he was in he found his head slowly turning to follow.

"You okay Lee?"

Blinking rapidly, the shinobi turned his head as he felt the bench he was sitting on shift just in time to see Tenten take a seat next to him. "Ah, yes Tenten!" he replied quickly as he gave a grin. "I am feeling absolutely joyous!" Soon Lee tilted his head, "Why do you ask?"

"You're zoning out, that's why," a voice jumped in and Lee turned his head to Neji who was leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed in his usual fashion. "You're usually the first one to input your thoughts into a conversation…even if it's only between two other people."

At this, Rock Lee gave a nervous laugh before rubbing the back of his neck. "Yes, I guess that would be true," he said sheepishly. "Though do not worry my comrades, I am perfectly well!"

At this, a mocking but seemingly light smirk played on the Hyuuga's lips, "I sometimes wonder," he muttered before closing his eyes. As long as Lee continued to perform at his best, Neji did not care what he thought, unless it interfered with their current objective. _"We have a name to live up to,"_ he thought as his eyes opened to become half-lidded though as the sound of the door opening once more reached his ears he tilted his head up. _"Hmm, seems more people passed than I would have thought."_

Glancing in the same direction as his teammates did, Lee could hear the footsteps of the people walking and as they came into closer view his eyes widened. Rising from the bench the male watched as a male with long dark hair was supported by his two other teammates, his eyes had dark rings under them but he didn't seem completely out of it. The other male in the group kept his eyes to the ground as he adjusted his hold on his injured teammate. He seemed to be a bit annoyed but just kept to muttering under his breath. Finally, Rock Lee's eyes landed on the kunoichi in the group and he found a certain lightness come to his being. "Azami!"

Green eyes glanced up and met ones shades darker than her own, for a moment the teen's pace seemed to slow. The kunoichi she felt like time had stopped and her heartbeat had sped up. Immediately her first reaction was to smile and walk over to Rock Lee but this did not come to be. She held herself back as she felt a certain weariness. She couldn't, she just couldn't bear to smile at him. If she did, she knew she'd break down inside and in this situation this couldn't happen. She had to stand on her own two feet, she had to be alone. With those thoughts, emerald eyes turned forward.

The happy feeling Lee had felt moments before seemed to fade as Azami disregarded him and even as she walked by her eyes did not meet his again. "A-Azami?" he called out but still he received no reply. Inside, Rock Lee couldn't help but feel a pain in his chest along with confusion. Had something bad happening to the Kumogakure kunoichi to make her act in such a way? Or even worse, had he done something?

"What's wrong with her?"

Rock Lee briefly looked back to see Tenten who was a few steps behind him. She had a worried look on her face but it wasn't just for Azami but mostly for Lee. She could see the slightly broken look on his face. Even now Neji also watched him with narrow eyes of wondering. Shaking his head, Lee's eyes returned to the retreating back of the foreign shinobi and as he focused on the swishing silver hair he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"I don't know, I really don't."

--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--

Akio was known for being a stoic man, even in his younger years. Always the one in the back but seemed to make the greatest noise because of the air he presented. Yet today that atmosphere seemed to be a bit lighter as he watched his genin students walk into the arena along with the others for the third part of the Chuunin Exams. This was a moment that all teachers waited for and though his didn't show it as much as some of the other jounin around him, Akio was proud. _"So far so good,"_ he thought. _"Though now this is where the real trouble begins." _Glancing to the side, Akio looked at the other jounin teachers. As he did, his eye caught onto a familiar sight of black bowl-cut hair and large eyebrows. _"So that's his teacher,"_ he thought as the other seemed to feel eyes on him and turned to him as well. For a moment, Akio's steel eyes widened as the other male approached him.

"This is most excellent, it seems as if both of our teams have passed through the Forest of Death!" Gai exclaimed though attempted to be quiet as the Hokage had started to speak. "I am sure they will continue on with no problem!" Holding out his hand the man grinned, "I am Maito Gai and I am guessing you are Azami's teacher," he greeted.

Nodding, the Kumogakure shinobi took the taijutsu user's hand and gave a firm shake, he did have quite a grip. "Yeah, the name's Akio, Azami's mentioned you and your team." Releasing the handshake, the male turned his head back and looked down into the arena. "She holds great respect for each of them and says you have a good work ethnic," he added. "I feel it would be quite interesting if they ended up facing each other."

"It would be indeed," Gai said with a smile. "Just from watching Azami I can see that she's been trained well by an experienced shinobi." The male nodded, "I bet anyone on my team would be honored to fight one of your students if the fates allow." As a small uproar echoed through the air, the male looked down to see a silver-haired male turn and leave the group, a leaf symbol decorated his hitai-ate, "though things from here will only get more difficult," he said. "I have trust in my students to fight their best so whether they win or lose I'll be proud."

For a moment Akio stayed silent as he just watched Gai before his eyes focused on his students. They were all together though he could see that Kado was leaning up against the two heavily, still he could see a concentrated and determined look in their eyes. "I agree," Akio finally said as his eyes focused on Azami, "though if they have something they're truly fighting for, losing will not be an option." A smidge of a smile crossed the jounin's lips, "for us it never was."

Gai couldn't help but nod at what Akio said though did not get the chance to reply as a sudden beeping filled the air and looking to the screen above the Hokage the male's eyes narrowed as he watched the computerize screen through names. Before he knew it, it stopped.

_Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi_

"There it is then," Gai said with a chuckle before looking to Akio, "I guess we'll both have to be patient until our students go, ne?" As the teams start to disperse to the stands, the taijutsu user smiled as he saw his students come up the stairs first. He smiled as they walked over to him, "I glad to see you three look to be in good condition, even though you've been through a lot," he said before giving a thumbs up. "Just keeping pushing and surely you will make it to the top!"

"Right, Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed giving a thumbs up as well, his teeth sparkling as he grinned. Though soon the genin noticed the other male standing behind his teacher and smiling as well he bowed his head. "Akio-san, it is a pleasure to see you again," he said. "I am also happy that your team has made it through the Forest of Death."

Akio nodded, "so am I," he replied before turning his head to see his team come into view from the steps. "Though it's not over yet." Moving past the four the jounin met his team half-way. "Are you guys alright?" he questioned.

"For the most part yeah," Tanjiro said before motioning to Kado, "though this one had to get himself poisoned." The male rolled his eyes, "figures."

Usually, Akio would have scolded the boy but because of the odd lightness in his tone, he decided against it. Besides, now wasn't the time. Looking to Kado, the jounin found the other staring right back at him. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"Not very, it's gotten a lot better," Kado replied before looking to the ground, his legs were shaking slightly.

A sigh came from Akio's lips but he just nodded, placing a hand on the genin's shoulder he gave a small pat. "Just hang in there," he told him before turning his gaze to the only kunoichi in the group. "Azami," he murmured, emerald eyes glanced his way. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine, Akio-sensei," the kunoichi replied though the jounin noticed her tone seemed a bit off, almost distant. Letting out a sigh Azami started to move by him, "I'll be right back," she spoke as she continued on heading in the direction of the bathroom. Keeping her head down as she moved, Azami found her thoughts wandering. She was so close to the finals, would she be able to make it here. Shaking her head the female sighed, this could be so mind-racking.

"Aza-chan."

Hearing that nickname, emerald eyes widened and pausing in her step, Azami was surprised to see Rock Lee in front of her. The male had a worried look in his eyes and soon he took a step towards her. Yet it was his next words that shocked her, "I am sorry."

"Lee…"

"I am sorry if I have wronged you in some way," Rock Lee continued. "I am not sure what I did but please know, I truly regret it." The male bowed is head, "so please Azami-chan, do not be angry with me." Soon the male reached his hand out trying to grab for the girl's but as she pulled back he felt something in his chest sink.

"Lee, you did nothing wrong," Azami said as she stepped to the side. "I-It's just I have to do this alone." The female shook her head, "I-I can't depend on people…t-that's only going to make me weak." Biting on her lower lip, "I have to stand alone…" Quickly turning, the teen continued her way down the hall. Her whispered words never reaching the taijutsu user, "besides…i-it should be me asking for forgiveness."

Rock Lee watched as Azami continued her way, he had to admit it hurt worse the second time. The boy was lost in his own thoughts, even as he heard the proctor shout for the first match to begin he did not come out of his trance. She had to stand alone? What did she mean by that? Unconsciously the male's hands soon curled up into tighten fist, "Azami," he murmured out and slowly Rock Lee turned to the rail and placed his hands on it, his knuckles were a ghostly white.

"_Why?"_

* * *

**Well there's the chapter!** **As usual comments and constructive criticism are very much welcome and loved to be read! Hopefully the next chapter won't be out like three months from now (depends of school load_)_, who knows? Maybe if I'm up to it it'll come out tomorrow! Anyway thank-you for reading and until the next chapter, happy trails!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
**


	22. Can You Realize?

**Yes! Updated the next day, I feel like I'm on a role! Hey everyone it's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx back with the twenty-second chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus. Man I can't tell you how much I love getting homework done the first days of vacation, it give you so much extra time! Anyway, I just have one thank-you because this update came so quickly!:**

**Reviewer: 030artastic**

**Don't you feel special?! Haha, also thank-you to those who read, even if you don't review I appreciate it (though commenting is still good!) Anyway, I'm done with the chatting and here's the next chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

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**_Chapter 22_**

"_Just breath…that's all you have to do, just breathe."_

Splashing cool water onto her face as the faucet ran, Azami focused on clearing her head of all the thoughts that ran through it. The look she had seen on Lee's face kept popping up time and time again and didn't see to want to leave, in all honesty Azami felt horrible. "I don't understand," she murmured. "This was supposed to be a good lesson for me, right?" Tilting her head up, Azami looked in the mirror in front of her and stared into her reflection as if trying to search for the answer but as nothing came up she let out a frustrated sigh. Turning off the water she gently banged her fist against the glass. "What's wrong with me?"

"Everything of course."

Hearing the snide comment, emerald eyes looked to the side of mirror to see another female standing there. "Eimi," Azami murmured immediately recognizing the other kunoichi. Turning on her left foot, she faced the other as she walked into the bathroom. "So, your team made it as well."

Blue eyes seemed to spark, "what, surprised to see me?" she questioned. "Though, I would suppose because of that your team doesn't stand a chance." Eimi crossed her arms, "if you were to go against one of us, I'm afraid that would be it."

"Right," Azami said with the roll of the eyes as she moved forward heading out of the bathroom. "I have to get back, sorry we can't continue to lovely conversation," she added as she turned her head back. "Perhaps another time."

"Don't brush me off Yamahara!" Eimi snapped making the silver-hair teen pause on the door handle. "Even if we're from the same village, if we meet in the ring I'll beat you to the ground." The genin's eyes narrowed, "got that?"

Azami stayed quiet for a few moments before turning the knob of the door and opening it. She took a step forward but stopped and turned her body half way back to Eimi. "What happens will happen," she murmured as she closed her eyes. "That Eimi know this, just because you say those things doesn't mean I'll let them happen." Looking back to the kunoichi, Azami's eyes were cold which some would think would be impossible for the girl. "I have a lot more to lose than a chance as a chuunin if I fail," she muttered. "To think I would let that slip through my fingers is foolish, even for you." With that, Azami turned away and walked out of the girl's bathroom. The door closing silently behind her leaving a stunned Eimi.

Listening to her footsteps, Azami closed her eyes, sometimes she couldn't stand that girl. _"No doubt the feeling is mutual,"_ she thought wryly. At that moment, the female heard fast footsteps coming her way and looking up she was surprised to see a familiar face. "Kado!" she exclaimed as the male came running over to her.

"There you are," her teammate said with a sigh of relief. "We thought you fell in or something, you already missed a few good battles and ones start right now." At this, Kado turned back the way he came and took a small jog hearing Azami's footsteps not far behind.

"So who's up now?" Azami asked.

"Two Konoha kunoichi," Kado replied after a moment. "Some girl named Ino and that pink-haired one, Sakura." Remembering the event from earlier, the genin looked back at his teammate. "Azami, I know you told Akio-sensei you're fine, but did you really mean that?"

Emerald eyes found themselves gazing into dark blue ones and soon they looked to the ground. "To tell the truth Kado, I'm not sure anymore," Azami murmured. "In the Forest of Death, I thought I had everything figured out but now…I'm not so sure." The kunoichi shook her head, "it's all so confusing."

Stopping suddenly forcing Azami to do the same, Kado laid a hand on her shoulder and stared directly at her. An understanding look was in his eyes, "I know it feels like that but you have to remember, the answer is always lying inside you," he murmured. "Maybe it's even right in front of you, I know shinobi are suppose to think with their head but Azami, I think you should think with your heart this time." Kado smiled, "you were always the best at that."

At this, a smile spread to the teen's lips and soon she bowed her head. For a moment she seemed a little sad which worried Kado but as he soon found wrapped around his stomach he laugh slightly. Returning the embrace, he wrapped his arms around Azami.

"Thank-you Kado-kun."

"Don't mention it," the genin spoke before putting his hands on the kunoichi's shoulders pushing her away slightly so he could see her face. "Now let's get going, no need to miss more fights, right?"

"Right," Azami said with a nod of the head and with that the two quickly made there way down the hall hoping to catch the last part of the fight. As they did Kado's words continued to repeat in Azami's mind. Soon she placed a hand on her chest, _"my heart huh,"_ she thought.

--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--

"Took your sweet time finding her didn't you?"

Rock Lee turned his head slightly as he saw Kado out of the corner of his eye and with his was Azami yet soon he turned his head away. He wanted to talk to the girl, but what could he say? Lee thought it obvious that she didn't want to speak with him at the moment. _"Though her words confused me,"_ he thought before shaking his head, it wasn't only that. The feeling the male he had in his chest, that tightening feeling was caused by the current situation, he wanted to know everything was okay. He had made a silent promise to himself that he would help Azami but if she didn't want it, what was he to do?

"Ha!"

Full attention returned to the ring as Sakura and Ino's fist hit each other, their chakra pushing strong off the other. The two continued to trade blows keeping up with the other, there was an intensity between these two that some would think couldn't be outdone. As the two jumped back from each other, they both got into a defensive stance, a few bruises and scraps marked their bodies and their breathing was a bit heavy.

"They're good," Azami murmured.

At this a huff came from the side, "only because there's some kind of rivalry between the two or use to be," Tanjiro muttered. "Something about that Uchiha kid, I kind of tuned out after."

"Uchiha?" Kado repeated before looking around remembering the onyx-haired genin but when he didn't see him he tilted his head. _"Ah right, his sensei had taken him somewhere," _he realized. _"He seemed to be in pain, probably an injury from the early exam."_

Azami looked at her teammates for a few moments until she heard yelling coming from the arena and as blond hairs caught her eyes, they widened. Ino had just cut her hair, in the distant she could hear someone yelling at the blonde to not get riled up, most likely her teammates. As she watched the female throw her hair across the floor, Azami tilted her head in confusion. Though as Ino held up her hand letting both her pointer, middle and thumbs touch her eyes widened, "isn't that…"

"Shintenshin No Jutsu!"

All eyes watched as Ino fell to her knees and Sakura became still in anticipation to see if the jutsu actually worked. Though as the pink-haired female smiled and lifted her head up, it showed the outcome. "Too bad Ino," Sakura said as she went to walk though as she found her feet couldn't move her eyes widened. Quickly looking down her mouth went agape as she saw the hair wrapped around it. "What?!"

"You fell right into my trap, Sakura," a voice said then Ino lifted her head up, a smirk adored her lips. "By using my hair and chakra I made a rope that you can't even escape." Again, the blond held her hands up in the jutsus position. "Now just to enter your body."

"Right, the Yamanaka jutsu needs to have the opponent be still," Akio murmured, his students turned their eyes to him. "If not, she would completely miss and she wouldn't' have been able to return to her body for awhile." The male closed his eyes, "that was a smart play of hers."

"_So…"_

"Shintenshin No Jutsu!"

"The outcome is already set," Azami murmured before tilting her head down slightly. To get this far only to be shut down, something in her couldn't help but feel for Sakura. Taking a deep breath the genin looked around the ring to see some shocked eyes but the one she lingered on was Lee's. As the male's lips moved she could make out the name 'Sakura-san,' and that was when she looked back to the arena. The female shook her head as she watched the kunoichi start to lift her hand.

"I, Haruno Sakura, would like to-"

"Sakura-chan, don't!"

Heading immediately turned and Azami's eyes widened as she watched a blond-haired genin with whisker like markings yell. _"Naruto,"_ she remember as she thought back to the written exam, he had spoken out there as well. "Why?" the kunoichi whispered to herself. "She's already loss, why try to push her on?"

"Sakura you've made it to this point!" Naruto continued to yell. "If you lose to Ino, you're not a real woman!"

Azami looked back to the ring and watched as a smirk spread across Sakura's lips, almost as if to taunt. Yet not even a moment later she saw emerald eyes widened and slowly Sakura brought her shaking hands to her head. "What's going on?" Azami murmured as she leaned over the rail like some others had started to do. She watched as Sakura's eyes narrowed then dilated, was she fighting it? _"That can't be."_

Coughing slightly, Hayate looked the pink-haired girl. "Well?" he questioned her. "Do you want to forfeit?"

"FORFEIT? LIKE HELL WILL!"

"No way," Tanjiro said as gasps of shock could be heard on the balconies, she did it, she actually broke through! Soon Sakura put her hands together the word 'release' came from her lips. In that moment a gasp came from Ino as she returned to her own body and looked at her opponent.

"Two minds," the blond said. "What are you?"

At this Sakura smirked, "didn't you know?" she asked. "Women have to be strong to survive."

Kado couldn't help but smirk as he watched the two, this had turned out to be quite the match. Though by their shaking bodies, he could tell they couldn't have much chakra left. Still a part of him wondered how it came to be like this. It seemed that Ino would be the winner. _"Did him yelling have to do with it?"_ Kado thought as glanced as Naruto from the corner of his eye. It was as if her teammate had given her that boost she needed to break from the jutsu. _"It…it doesn't seem impossible."_

As battle cries rang through the arena, the bystanders watched as Sakura and Ino rushed at each other. This was it, this would be the final strike. As the two closed in eyes watched as they both laid a hard punch on each other sending the other opponent skidding across the floor. Time seemed to stop as both females lied still on the floor but as no one made a movement the hype of the battle seemed to leave. It was a draw.

"Both of the fighters are unable to continue due to a double knock-out!" Hayate yelled. "The fourth preliminary battle has no winner!"

"Hmm, I thought so."

Emerald eyes looked up, "Akio-sensei?" Azami said in a questioning manner.

"Even if they had managed to get up after that punch, I doubt they would be in any condition to try again," Akio said as he watched bearded and a masked, dark silver-haired jounin land in the arena and pick up their students. "That Shintenshin jutsu must have taken a lot out of the both of them," he added. "Though still, I will admit they did good."

Turning her head, Azami watched as a crowd gathered around the two jounin as they placed their students against a wall, smiling to herself the female closed her eyes. "Yeah, they did," she murmured.

"Though you know they had help."

Kado watched as Azami turned her head to him before he looked back to the ring. "You saw it didn't you? After Sakura's teammate had called out to her, how she reacted," he explained. "He had managed to get through to her." Looking back at the kunoichi, the male smiled gently. "It is true that she was on her own on the field but she had people rooting for her all the way," he added. "That's something worth having, don't you think?"

Emerald eyes gaze at Kado before Azami looked to the ground, _"though if you depend on those encouragements, couldn't that you bring you down?"_ she thought but as she thought back to Sakura's fight the wheels in the kunoichi's head started to turn. Though that wasn't the case, Sakura fought confidently through the fight and didn't falter with her hits. _"She didn't lean on Naruto's words,"_ she thought. _"She used them to help her push forward."_ At this realization, Azami looked up, the electronic board was choosing the next to fighters. Was that it? What she's been missing?

"About time!"

Coming out of her thought, Azami focused back on the board, her eyes narrowed slightly at the names.

_Jurou Sato vs. Takashima Tanjiro_

Kado let out a sigh as he slipped his hands into his pockets, from the other side of the balcony he watched as the team six Kumogakure member jumped into the ring. "Don't get yourself too beaten up, alright?" he said coolly.

"Yeah, yeah," Tanjiro said with a roll of the eyes as he jumped onto the rail but just balanced. "You just worry about your own battle." Feeling another pair of eyes on him, the male looked to Azami, his eyes narrowed. "What is it?" he questioned hotly.

At this Azami would have usually just put her head down and shake her head but she did something completely the opposite. Letting out a breath a smile spread to her lips, "good luck, Tanjiro," she said. "I know you'll be great."

Dark eyes widened for a moment and Tanjiro felt something pull deep in his chest. It had been awhile since he saw that smile, well, that smile on him. Also Azami's tone of voice, it wasn't hesitant and quick, but instead warm and calm to make sure that he heard every word. "Azami," Tanjiro murmured as his eyes softened though they returned to their usual hard stare in a moment. Letting out a huff the male bowed his head before pushing off the rail. Allowing gravity to take over he landed on the ground in a crouching position before slowly standing.

"Now that both competitors are on the field" Hayate said before coughing. "Are you ready?"

"Been for ages," Sato answered as he smirked at Tanjiro. "Lets get to over with!"

"I'm glad you're ready to kick your ass kicked," Tanjiro sneered, the same smirk on his lips. For a moment he glanced back to the direction of his team and though he couldn't see them full he could tell their eyes were on him. Taking a deep breath he gave a nod of the head before getting into a fighting position. His eyes turned back to his opponent, "bring it."

Looking at both shinobi, Hayate nodded his head. Both of the boys seemed a little hot-head though the genin in this tournament seemed to have tricks up their sleeves. _"I wonder how this will turn out,"_ the male thought before lifting his hand into the air, his dark eyes looked to the balconies before back to the ring. "Match five, Jurou Sato verses Takashima Tanjiro," he announced. As he felt the anticipation build up, Hayate closed his eyes before allowing his hand to fall.

"Begin!"

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**Where will these events lead?! Who knows, you'll just have to wait and see! Next chapter will be the fight between Tanjiro and Sato, who shall win? I don't think the next update will be as fast as this one this school starts back up again but I'll try to get back to you as fast as I can! As always, reviews and constructive criticism is always welcomed and loved! Well, that's all for now folks so until next time, I'm signing off!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
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	23. Kumogakure's First Battle

**WHO'S ON A ROLE TODAY HUH?! Yes I'm updating twice in one day (though I will admit it's a bit late at night but oh well!) E-hem, anywho...hi everyone xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx back with the necto chapter of Dance of Eternal Lotus! Surprisingly I have a thank-you to give even though this update is pretty fast:**

**Favoriter: tokidokicutie**

**Thank-you sooo much and thank-you to those who have kept up with me this long! Now I would like to present the very fast twenty-third updated chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus!**

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**_Chapter 23_**

The boys met each other without a moment to spare, throwing fast punches and kicks with accuracy. The desire to beat the other fueled both of them but in this fight the victor would be the ones who utilized all that they knew. Bending back to dodge a kick to the side of his head Tanjiro jumped back and form a quick pair of hand signs before putting his hands on the ground. "Water Style: Snaking Whips!"

Feeling the ground shake under him, Sato jumped to the side just as a tendril of water came up to wrap around him ankle though just as he landed back on the ground another appeared behind him causing him to move again. Dodging from side to side to keep away from the whips that were forming, Sato pulled out several tags from his back pocket. Smirking he threw them at the jutsu, the exploding tags billowing in the air. As soon as the tag cam in contact with the water it exploded causing not only black smoke but mist as well. Sensing his opponent's chakra the genin grinned and form hand-seals of his own.

"Earth Style: Rising pillars!"

Tanjiro's eyes widened as he felt his opponent's chakra flow under him and soon the ground shook rapidly. Steadying himself, he watched as pillars started to shoot up everywhere and soon found himself surrounded by nothing but stone, _"it's like a maze," _he noticed but was quickly brought out of his thoughts as he felt a presense behind him. Jumping into the air, Tanjiro flung a kunai at Sato though as the weapon hit him and the body disappeared in white smoke he cursed. _"A substitution!"_ he realized though it was too late. A yell came from the male as a foot collided into hit back sending him back down to the ground with a crash.

"Oh come on Tanjiro, don't tell me that stunned you," Sato mocked as he stood on one of the pillars. "No it couldn't have, it was just a fluke right?" Turning his head the male pointed to his cheek, "come on I'll give you a free one," he grinned. "Just to be even on shots, come on! I'm wide opened."

Brown eyes glared up at the genin in annoyance as Tanjiro slowly rose to his feet, he could feel the stinging running up his spine but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Pushing his chakra to his feet Tanjiro jumped to the wall and pushing off it launched himself into the air with incredible speed. As he came above the pillars the male swung his leg and Sato moved to dodge but was prevented as one of the water ropes came up and wrapped around a leg. Smirking, Tanjiro kicked the other in the stomach sending him flying into the opposite wall. Now landing on the pillar where Sato once stood, he smirked.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Tanjiro," Akio muttered as he watched his student, he could see him form had temporarily relaxed. "This is not the place for mistakes, use what your best at."

Kado looked to his sensei for a moment before glancing back to the field just in time to see Sato place a hand and foot off the wall and use it as leverage as he pushed himself into the air above Tanjiro. In that moment he watched as the other pulled out a scroll and marking his blood on it, large shuriken launched out from it. Quickly his gaze turned back to his teammate.

"Water Style: Encasing Wave!"

"Tanjiro," Azami murmured as she watched the male surround himself in a veil of water and as the blades hit it, it got stuck in the liquid not even breaking through to get at the jutsu user inside. As the jutsu user dropped the user and the weapons fell to the ground she watched as Sato landed on another pillar before rushing forward to trade blows with Tanjiro. Left and right both of them moved each dodging punches and kicks but earning some at the same time. As they broke apart again both were breathing heavily and had marks over their bodies. "Come on," Azami murmured.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you fight Tanjiro," Sato said coolly. "I must admit you've improved, though I guess that everyone has to." The male smirked, "it's going to be sad to watch you fall."

"Save the words until the end eh?" Tanjiro said as he cracked his knuckles. "Besides, I think it will be you who ends up on the ground." The male's hands started to move quickly as he created hand-seals. "Earth style: Carving crescent!" At that moment the pillar from underneath him started to break up and jumping from it, Tanjiro used his chakra to fling the now thin pieces of rubble at Sato.

Letting a huff escaped his lips, Sato jumped up thinking he had completely avoided the attack but as the piece of rock curved and shot up his eyes widened. "What?!" he exclaimed and let out a yell as he was cut across the torso and his left thigh. Biting on his lower lip the male looked to the roof of the building and turning himself so his feet hit it he attached his chakra to the concrete and started to run upon it avoiding the flying projectiles at him.

"Look at that chakra control…"

Azami jumped as she heard a feminine voice and turned her head to see Sakura close by her, she hadn't even noticed that the girl along with Ino had woken up. She had been too transfixed into the battle. As the pink-haired girl turned to her and gave a small smile, Azami felt a little hesitant but managed to smile back. "Yeah," she murmured before looking back to the match. "The Jurou clan is known for their chakra control back home." Green eyes narrowed, "they're a strong opponent if ever crossed on in battle."

"Though you think your teammate will still win right?" Sakura asked and as Azami turned her head back to her she shrugged. "I don't mean if I draw offense, what I meant was that even if your teammate is against someone strong, you think they'd still pull through, right?"

Azami tilted her head slightly but soon nodded, "of course," she said. "We've been through a lot and I know Tanjiro wouldn't go down with out a fight."

Smiling at this the girl held out her hand, "good," she said before bowing her head slightly. "I'm Haruno Sakura, it's nice to meet you?" the kunoichi said in a questioning manner.

"Azami," the silver-haired female introduced back as she shook Sakura's hand. Though she still felt a little weary of the other in front of her Azami felt herself starting to calm. "It's a pleasure to meet you also." Letting go of the other teen's hand, emerald eyes looked back to the ring, the kunoichi couldn't help but wince as she watch Tanjiro go crashing through one of the many pillars in the ring before smashing into another one and sliding down it onto the ground.

"D-Damn," Tanjiro growled as he slowly pushed himself to his knees, coughing slightly he watched as blood came from his mouth, no doubt he probably loss at least two teeth. Looking up, the genin glared at Sato who was slowly making his way over to him. The male continued to try and rise to his feet.

"Oh you don't have to rise for me," Sato mocked as he stopped a few steps away from Tanjiro. "Believe mean it will much easier if you're already on the ground." The male took a step closer, "better yet, you can just forfeit, don't worry, no one will think you a loser if you did it." Sato glanced to the side, "in fact many would think you very smart."

Grasping the bar, Azami leaned over as she watched Sato pull out a kunai from his holster and swing it around a finger. "Tanjiro," she spoke as he eyes became wide. No, he couldn't lose. At that moment the female felt a hand on her shoulder and looking to her side she looked into deep blue eyes.

"Don't worry," Kado said as he smirked, "Tanjiro may be hot-headed but that doesn't mean he doesn't think ahead." The male motioned his head up, "look."

Doing as instructed, emerald eyes gazed to the ceiling and in a fraction of a second they widened. Seemingly unbeknownst to most, there was a marking on a ceiling, one mostly associated with summonings. Smiling to herself, Azami looked back to the ring and leaned on the rail. "Come on Tanjiro!" she cheered. "Show him what you got!"

Sato looked to the stands for a second and his eyes narrowed on Azami but that was his mistake. In a fraction of a second a hard kick was delivered to his chest and before he had time to recover it was quickly followed by a punch to the face. Skidding across the floor, Sato's eyes widened.

"I thought you were smart Kado, it's not good to take your eyes off your opponent," Tanjiro said coolly. "Though that's your mistake." Smirking the male took a kunai from his pocket and cutting it across the palm of his hand his threw it upwards. As it hit the ceiling the male put his hands together. "Water Style: Sinking Rain!" It was then when the symbol on the ceiling started to glow and just as Tanjiro's jutsu foretold rain soon fell from it only landing on the ring. Not caring as his hair became weighted down, the male watched his opponent.

As the rain fell, Sato only seemed to smirk. Was this really supposed to stop him, these droplets of water. "I think you're starting to slip Tanjiro, maybe you hit your head too hard," he said as he started to move forward. "To think that this rain would-" Stopping in mid-sentence, the male's eyes widened as he felt like extra weight was being added to his body. As his legs started to shake, he looked up.

"Shocked?" Tanjiro questioned with a tilt of the head as he took a few steps forward, his movement unrestrained and fluid. "Most aren't use to feeling the pressure you are now, the rain is mixed with my chakra creating more mass to it." The male crossed his arms, "and since the rain absorbs into your clothes, it adds more mass to you as well." Tanjiro smirked, "now, time to wrap this up."

Sato's eyes widened as his opponent ran forward, he tried to deliver his own attack but to no avail. Tanjiro simply avoid it and punched him in the gut. Again and again he was his with relentless punches and kicks unable to defend himself. How, how did he not see this coming? The answer never came because in the next second, Sato was delivered a hard punch to the cheek that sent him flying backward into on the many pillars. Laying still on the ground his eyes rolled back slightly into his head.

Jumping through the debris, Hayate came to land next to Sato and looking at the male he signed, knocked-out cold. "Jurou Sato is no longer able to battle," he announced. "The winner is Takashima Tanjiro!"

"Finally," Akio said as he crossed his arms, a smirk was on his lips. He would admit, he had been a bit worried but not too much. Tanjiro was a strong genin, just like everyone on his teams, besides, he had something to fight for. He knew the male wouldn't admit defeat easily. He would rather die than forfeit.

As Tanjiro walked up the stairs to the balcony, Kado looked at his teammate with a raised eyebrow and soon turned to face him. Both males seemed to stare at each other intensely though soon Kado smiled and held a tightened fist to him. "Good job," he muttered.

Tanjiro looked at the held out fist wearily before looking to the side blankly. Lifting up his own he bumped it against Kado's. "Yeah, thanks," he muttered before moving past the other. Going to the wall, the male leaned his back up against it before sliding down. The last attack had taken a bit of chakra out of him but he knew he'd be alright. Closing his eyes, Tanjiro let out a small sigh. He wouldn't be surprised if he fell asleep right there and then, but he was soon brought out of those thoughts as he felt a hand on his upper arm. His brown eye immediately opened as he grabbed the hand that was on him and glared. "What are you do," he snapped,

Azami looked at Tanjiro a little shocked but didn't waver even as the grasp on her hand tightened. Using her other one, she held up a bandage wrap. "We don't need those getting infected right?" she said. "So let's cover them up." As her teammate continued to glare at her, a light seemed to click in the kunoichi's head. "Well, if you rather have to get an arm amputated before the final match, alright then." Feeling the hand loosen from her, Azami grinned, though Tanjiro had turned his head away from her, she could see a small smirk play across his lips. Shaking her head, she held out his arm.

As Azami concentrated on her work, Tanjiro glanced back to her briefly before allowing his eyes to close again. It had been awhile since the two had been this close and he felt a certain nostalgia about it. _"If only things could have remained that way,"_ he thought to himself as he let out a deep breath. He couldn't think about it, not now. He was fighting for something that no one could understand if they weren't going through it, not even the slightest bit. _"I will prove I'm good enough, I will prove that my clan doesn't need 'improvements,'_ Tanjiro thought but as a clothe start to around his arm those thoughts faded away. For just this once, he would be content letting his mind idly wander while gentle hands cared for him.

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**Aha! So there may be more to Tanjiro than what was previously expect huh?! Also what 'improvements' to his clan was he talking about. All shall be revealed in the upcoming chapters of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus, though it's up to you my dear readers to keep tuned in! As usual, comments and constructive criticism is greatly welcomed and appreciated so I hope to be hearing from some of you soon! So until next time my friends, tata!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
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	24. A Hyuuga's Courage

**Hey everyone, it's the older xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx (yes, today is my birthday) with the next chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus. Kind of a nice fast update huh? Well I will admit this mostly has the Hyuugas fight in it because I thought Azami would be able to learn very much with it but hopefully you'll still enjoy it. Anywho, only one review this week but it's all good, we got lives. So thankyou Fk306 animelover, your comment was very well appreciated! Now, lets get on with the chapter!**

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**_Chapter 24_**

The next battles seemed to go by fast but were filled with memorable moments Azami had to admit. After Sakura and Ino's battle, Tenten had went and had showed excellent skill but sadly she was beaten, Azami was sure the girl's name was Temari. Next it was between Konoha and the Sound in which the first came out on top, the shadow user, Shikamaru, though seemingly lazily had a lot of intelligence. _"For sure I had thought that girl had him in a bind,"_ Azami thought wryly. Yet the fight that had managed to catch her attention the most so far (and seemingly the rest of the contestants) was Naruto's.

"_There's just something about him,"_ the green-eyed girl thought as she watched the blond stand near his fallen opponent with his fist clenched, he was staring down at it with an almost knowing smile. Through the fight, Azami had watched the others and it was easy to tell who they thought would come out on top, she had even agreed with them at some point. Inuzuka Kiba was a strong opponent and showed that throughout the match along with his nin-dog, Akamaru. With their combo attacks it seemed they would win hands down, but Naruto managed to pull through…though in an unorthodox way. "He deserved to win," Azami murmured as she watched Naruto make his way up the stairs.

"By farting in the guy's face?" the now bandaged Tanjiro said as he glanced at the female, he rolled his eyes. "Yes, that was the win of the centu-ow!"

Letting his hand fall, Kado couldn't' help but smirk as he heard the sarcasm leave his teammate's voice. "He did," he said agreeing with Azami as he looked to her. Her attention had returned to the blond and he couldn't help but notice the look in her eyes. It was an expression she wore when she was thinking intently. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, the male leaned down slightly. "A penny for your thoughts?" he questioned.

Azami glanced at the dark-haired male for a moment, "well," she murmured softly. "You know how sometimes you can tell what people are thinking just because of the vibes they give off?" As her teammate nodded, the kunoichi looked back. "Do you think he knew…knew that most thought Kiba would win?" Green eyes closed, "with that pressure weighing on you, how can you not feel like giving up?"

A look of understanding crossed Kado's face and after a few moments, he placed a hand on Azami's shoulder. "Well if it was me, I would think of it this way," he murmured. "What matters the most: what others think or what I think? If you put things into priority I think it becomes clearer."

"Right," Azami murmured though by the raised eyebrow Kado gave her, she knew he didn't believe her words. In a way, she was still confused but for now she'd let it slip by, she would get it eventually…hopefully. At that moment, multiple beeping sounds rang through the air and glancing to the side the female looked up.

"I wonder who's up next."

Several pairs of eyes looked to the electronic screen at the front of the ring as they waited for the next contestants to be drawn. It was easy to feel the anticipation in the room as some hoped for their name to be passed again while others hoped to see theirs in yellow letters. As the computer stopped, dark eyes narrowed.

_Hashigawa Kado vs. Hatarou Dai_

Azami turned her head to Kado as he looked at the screen, Kumogakure just seemed to be going against each other today. Looking across the other balcony the male's eyes met with green orbs with a blank gaze. He then looked to the side and soon a sigh came from his lips, almost as if he was annoyed. Emerald eyes then widened as Kado put his hands on the rail and leaned over.

"I forfeit."

"What!" Tanjiro yelled before grabbing at the front of Kado's shirt and pulled him towards him. "What the hell for?"

"Tanjiro, settle," Akio said as he took the male's wrist making him let go of his other student. He then turned his eyes to Kado, "what's wrong?" he questioned.

Dark blue eyes closed, "the poison…it hasn't worn off yet and my movements are still sluggish," he muttered. "Dai has always had speed as his advantage, even in our Academy days." Kado grabbed at his pants leg, "besides…" he drifted at he pulled it up.

Azami's hand flew to her mouth as she saw the nasty large gash that decorated her friend's leg. It was cleaned and it was clear the wound was trying to heal but it still had a long way to go. _"It must be painful,"_ she thought, she was surprised she hadn't noticed Kado limping or that the male was able to stay silent for so long about it. Though the teen had to wonder where he got it from. _"Most likely in the Forest of Death,"_ she concluded. Sighing, Azami frowned. "I'm sorry Kado."

The male shook his head, "don't be," he murmured as he placed a hand on Azami's hand and gently tussled her hair. "There's always next year and it gives me more time to prepare which isn't all that bad." Looking to where Dai was and back, Kado smirked. "I know I could take him anyway, in the end that's the most important thing."

Emerald eyes widened as Kado's words, he knew? Though how? Shaking her head Azami let the confusion subside and only smiled at her teammate. She was sad to not be able to see him fight but in the end it was his decision. As Kado turned his head and nodded at Hayate she did the same, so, she was the last one on her team then.

"Since Kado had decided to forfeit, this match is automatically thrown," Hayate murmured. "Dai is the winner!"

"Though in a crummy way," Tanjiro growled out.

"Oh quiet!" a voice yelled, it was Eimi. Moving towards the rail she leaned on it and glared at the other side. "Your teammate knew he could never beat Dai." The female smirked, "it's always good to quit while you're ahead." Eimi turned her attention to Azami, "maybe you should take your teammate's lead."

Emerald eyes narrowed, "in your dreams," retorted. "You know Eimi, it's usually the ones who talk loudly that feel insecure."

At this, the other kunoichi's glare intensified. "Watch your mouth Azami," she snapped. "Your team is riding on you right now and all you're going to do is get pummeled into the ground, where you belong!" Eimi's knuckles turned white as her grip. "You won't win with your half-bit moves you call taijutsu!"

"That is not true!"

Azami's slightly opened mouth shut as she heard a more masculine voice speak on her behalf. As she saw movement from the corner of her eyes she looked and they became wide as she saw Lee standing by her side. The male was standing tall and his eyes were narrowed slightly as he looked at Eimi who looked equally surprise as she did. Instead of getting to the silver-haired female, had what she said got to the taijutsu user instead? "Lee," Azami murmured.

"To call Aza-chan's move half-bit is a complete misconception," Lee spoke out. "Azami shows a great love in her movements and she puts all her youthfulness into it!" A huff came from the male's nostrils, "she is a flower blooming everyday!" Feeling the sudden burst of energy in him slowly leave, Rock Lee lowered his head. "I do not know what you have against Azami, Eimi-san, but to call her taijutsu less than it is, is an insult," he murmured before closing his eyes. "Not only to her, but to you as well."

"Really now?" Eimi questioned as she put a hand on her hip, "and how is that?"

Dark eyes reopened, "you say Azami has flaws but it seems your ability to access strength has them as well."

Tanjiro couldn't help but feel a little impressed as Eimi's hard expression seem to falter, it seemed the boy with fuzzy eyebrows had jokes. A low chuckle escaped his lips, it was executed perfectly and by the way the other Kumogakure kunoichi curled her hands into fists and simply turned her gaze to the floor showed it had worked on her. Brown eyes glanced to the side to look at Lee, _"not bad for a loser,"_ he thought. _"Not bad at all."_

Azami let out a soft sigh as the tension that had been growing between her and Eimi dwindled to nothing. She would never say she hated the girl but she was starting to tug on that string and she wonder how long it would be until it snapped. _"Nothing I can do about it now,"_ she thought. _"What's done is done."_ Turning her head the female looked to Lee but was surprised to see him about the move away. It was at this moment that her mind looked back on the fight between Sakura and Ino, "Lee," she called out shortly after.

Pausing in his movements, the taijutsu user turned his head, his eyes holding a bit stunned but it wasn't unwanted. He was worried about Azami for what she had said earlier during the beginning of the preliminaries but just to hear her call his name brought a comfortable warmth to him. It was funny, in a way it reminded him of when he heard Sakura's voice though he thought it was because both girls had a sweet tone when they talked. "Yes, Azami-chan?"

The words of the female's lips came smoothly, "thank-you," she said and slowly, she managed to put a small smile on her lips, she couldn't help it. Rock Lee didn't have to come to her aid but he did, the situation wasn't even that serious! For that reason, Azami thought it was only right for her to give her gratitude. Besides…the female missed hearing his voice, whether she liked it or not.

A loud cough came from the ring and the eyes of the people on the balconies looked to Hayate. "Now, if there are no more interruptions," he said. "We'll choose the next to fighters." Holding up his hand the computer screen started to flash names as it matched them up randomly. After a few moments of anticipation two names showed up on the screen.

_Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji _

"_Hyuuga,"_ Azami thought to herself and in that moment turned her head to where Team Gai was, Neji was staring at the board with narrowed eyes before he glanced to the side and emerald eyes followed. Another person was staring at the screen but her eyes were wide in what seemed like fear. She had seemingly dark blue hair and the trademark peral eyes that the Hyuugas were known for, Azami wondered how this was going to work out. As the two made their way to the ring, the female couldn't help but watch the way Neji moved. The usually calm swagger he had had been replaced with something more cold, violet even. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Your feeling is right," a voice murmured and as the kumogakure kunoichi turned her head, Tenten had her gaze on her. "I'm guessing you know that the Hyuuga has two branches right?" she asked and as the other nodded she looked to the ring. "Well, things haven't been settled between the two and Hinata just happens to be part of the main branch while Neji is part of the lower branch." Tenten frowned, "I don't find it fair in all honesty."

Azami nodded, "I agree," she murmured a few moments later. To have a clan split up into branches, they didn't have anything like that in Kumogakure. Though if there were hostilities between the two, was it okay for them to fight? "You don't think Neji will do anything…drastic, do you?" Azami asked softly.

At this Tenten looked to her teammate down in the ring and focused on his eyes. They were staring directly at Hinata with a coldness that seemed even too chilly for the Hyuuga. "I don't know Azami," she murmured. "I really don't."

Frowning at her reply, Azami looked to the ring and crossing her arms she leaned them on the rail as she waited for the match to begin. Hinata, she looked so frail in a way and she could that the female's body was shaking ever so slightly. No doubt it was Neji's gaze that was doing that to her, was she scared? Looking to the other Hyuuga as his mouth parted, Azami leaned forward. As Hayate cleared the match, Neji's next words shocked her slightly.

"Hinata-sama, you don't make a good shinobi! Forfeit now!"

"_What?"_ Azami thought with widened as and she could tell that some around her was shocked as well, even Hinata. The dark haired female looked a her kinsman with slightly dilated pearl eyes.

"You're too kind for this life," Neji muttered. "You prefer to avoid conflict and wish for harmony and you also agree with other rather than saying your own opinion." The male closed his eyes, "I can understand you competing in the Chuunin Exams because it needs to be done in teams of three but with your inferiority, you won't go long with being a shinobi." Looking back at the female, the Hyuuga's eyes narrowed, "you couldn't turn down your teammates could you? You had to enter to please them, correct?"

"N-No," a small, stuttering voice replied, Hinata looked at her cousin. "N-Not because of t-that, i-it's just, it's just t-that…" Drifting off the female looked down, a meek smile was on her lips. "I-I just wanted to change myself, do it myself."

Kado raised an eyebrow as he heard the Hyuuga's words, she wanted to change herself. _"Sounds like someone else we know,"_ he thought as he looked to Azami. Her emerald eyes were trained on Hinata and by her expression he could tell her felt for the other girl. The male smirk, _"Who knows? Maybe one can learn from the other,"_ he thought.

"Just as I thought, you are spoiled Hinata-sama. People cannot change themselves!"

Dark eyes widened as Rock Lee heard his teammate's words, he had never heard Neji sound so cruel. He knew the other genin had a heavy burden on his shoulders involving his clan but since he rarely mentioned it, Lee had no idea he was harboring this much hate.

"Losers will forever be losers, they're personality will never change and neither will their strength," Neji said harshly. "Everyone is judged by this, looks, ability, size, brains, based on their unchangeable occurrences they are discriminated against and they discriminate others." Staring straight into Hinata's mouse-like eyes, the Hyuuga glared. "Just like how you're from the main branch and I'm from the lower branch."

"T-That can't be true…"

Rock Lee turned his head to see Azami looking down at her hands, they were shaking slightly and he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows. The words Neji was speaking, it seemed to be having an affect on her. "Aza-chan," he murmured but not loud enough for the kunoichi to hear. He didn't believe in what Neji said, he knew what the genin's ideals were when they were first placed on a team and he never believed them from the beginning. People could grow, he was sure of it.

"You just want to turn and run, don't you?"

"N-No, that's n-not-" Pearl eyes widened as they found themselves looking into the Byakugan. Quickly they turned away and wandered. The Hyuuga male was intimidating and Hinata could bet anyone from the stands could see that.

"You were thinking about the result of this match, weren't you?"

Hinata's eyes widened, "w-what?"

"Against my pressure you were thinking about past experiences when you looked to the upper left, and then to the right…you were imagining the mental and physical pain." Neji clenched his teeth slightly, "you saw your defeat, you can't hid from my eyes!" The male's body tensed, "nothing can!" As Hinata took a step back, the Hyuuga took a step forward continuing his verbal onslaught. "The raising of your arms in front of your body trying to create distance, the way you touch you lip, are you that stupid to not realize that no matter what you do, you cannot change you-"

"YOU CAN!"

All eyes turned to the side to see Naruto glaring at Neji with a certain rage in his eyes but it didn't seem to be directed at the male himself. "Stop deciding things about people, idiot!" he yelled before turning his gaze to the female. "Hinata, kick this bastard's ass!"

Green eyed stared at the blond with a calm expression, Azami had almost gotten use to him yelling out since he had done it in the past. Looking back to Hinata, the kunoichi couldn't help but notice the slight change in the other's eyes as she stared at Naruto. The emotion in it, it looked so familiar to her but she couldn't think of where she had experienced it. Still it caused something in her chest to stir slightly.

"Naruto-kun…"

"You have to stand up for yourself Hinata," Naruto called out. "Come on, this is hard to watch."

At these words, Hinata looked down to the ground. She was going against an enemy that had a hold on her, could she…could she really fight? After a few moments, a pale hand clenched and the kunoichi took a deep breath. Lifting her head up Hinata stared straight at Neji. _"Naruto-thankyou."_

"The look in her eyes has changed," Kado noted.

"Yeah," Tanjiro murmured, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Azami nodded as she watched Hinata straighten up slightly, it was small but she could feel the confidence coming into light. It seemed that maybe she only needed that little push. _"Come on Hinata,"_ the kunoichi thought, she was routing for the girl.

"So you won't forfeit," Neji muttered as he looked at his cousin, "I am not responsible for whatever happens."

At this pearl eyes narrowed, "that is fine because I will no longer run!" Hinata proclaimed and she could see her opponent's eyes widened slightly. The veins by her eyes started to become more prominent. "Neji," Hinata said coolly. "We fight."

Azami watched in amazement as the two rushed forward with incredible speed, at some points she even thought their movements were hard to keep up with. With each hit, Hinata seemed to grow bolder and bolder and the kunoichi admired that, she was saw drawn into the battle that she had blocked out the other voice around her. _"Even if you're scared and uncertain, you continue to fight,"_ she thought as she focused on Hinata. _"You push yourself past those mental limits and the ones others put in front of you."_ Emerald eyes narrowed, "it's hard, but you continue to try."

And the girl's words were true. Even as blood came from Hinata's mouth, she didn't stop. Neji's gentle fists attacks were taking a toll on her inner organs but Azami continued to hope for the girl. For a moment her emerald eyes widened as Neji pushed Hinata back and the girl skidded across the floor. Uncrossing her arms, Azami leaned over the rail in suspense.

"Hinata, can't you see the difference between us, the difference between the winner and loser?" Neji questioned. "This reality cannot be changed, when you said you wanted to change yourself you were setting yourself up for regret." Pearl eyes looked into ones much like their own."Just forfeit, Hinata-sama."

For a few moments the Hyuuga remained on the ground seemingly unmoving as if she was considering her cousin's word. Though soon after, Hinata stretched a hand out and placing her palm on the ground she slowly pushed herself up. "I-I can't," she spoke as she managing to get herself into a crouching position. "I-I can't go back on my word…" Licking the blood away from her lips, Hinata raised her head and what Neji saw made his eyes widened. The kunoichi was actually smiling.

"That is also…my nindo."

"_Nindo," _Azami thought as the word echoed in her mind. It brought her back to the time when she and Lee were just getting to know each other. At that time she didn't know what her nindo was but with all the things that had been leading to the Chuunin exams and the experiences she has been going through, the answer was becoming clearer and clearer. It was at this moment that Azami always realized where she heard the familiar nindo from, turned her head she looked to Naruto and couldn't help but smile. Now she knew why Hinata had that look in her eyes and why seemed familiar. It was the same gaze she gave Lee as well. _"So that's it."_

"YOU CAN DO IT HINATA!"

Looking back to the field, Azami just in time saw Hinata rush forward. She didn't understand how the girl could still have so much strength since her body was no doubt under the strain of battle and also her organs, the kunoichi knew the blood the other had be coughing up couldn't be right. As Hinata's blows became sharper and even seemed to pick up speed, emerald eyes kept trained on the battle. _"What keeps you going?"_ Azami pondered. _"What makes you fight harder than ever." _

A small cry came from the battle field as Neji hit Hinata under the jaw sending the girl stumbling back but she did not fall. Breathing harshly she could feel the blood running from her lips but she did not bother to wipe them, she had to keep going. Even if her body screamed no and her mind told her it was over, she was going to keep going. The female rushed forward, _"I-I will not fail,"_ Hinata thought to herself. _"I-I know I can over come it, I know I can…"_

"_I know that I can change."_

Kado felt his chest constrict as he watch Hinata get hit straight in the chest by Neji's gentle fist attack before dropping to the ground. The technique didn't even as much as a tap to be affective so he could only guess what that one had down to her. Letting out a sigh, dark blue eyes closed. "I don't she'll be getting back up," he murmured before looking to Azami. He couldn't help but be slightly confused about the smile on her face, her eyes held a look of realization. "What is it?" he questioned, he could hear Hayate about to announce Neji as the winner.

Emerald eyes softened, "don't count her out yet."

"DON'T STOP IT!"

All eyes looked at Hinata in shock as the female started to move and little by little rose to her feet. She had a hand against her side and her body was shaking like a leaf but she didn't drop back down. Lifting her head, the kunoichi still had a small smile on her face.

"Why, why do you continue to stand!" Neji snapped, he had never seen this side of Hinata before and a part of it frustrated him. You couldn't change destiny, no matter how hard you try! "You can barely stand, you're going to kill yourself this way," he added. "The ways of the Hyuuga main branch have been pushed on you since the day you were born and you've hated yourself for showing your weakness." Pearl-like eyes narrowed, "You can't change destiny Hinata, no one can. You don't have to prolong your suffering."

At this Hinata shook her head, "Neji, that's just it, I don't," she spoke softly, her voice was strained slightly. "In all honesty, the lost person who I see that's in pain within the destiny of the main Hyuuga branch…" Drifting off, the kunoichi looked up and met with her cousin's eyes. Not once did she flinch or look away, "is you, Neji."

"Stop! The fight is over!"

Azami gasped as she watched Neji run at Hinata, pure anger seemed to be in his eyes. Without thinking about it the female went to move over the rail and jump down into the ring but stopped half-way. Three of the jounin teachers and Hayate had already surround Neji holding him back. Gai had a hand around his mouth, a silver-haired jounin had a hand on his arm and the kunoichi who could she only guess as Hinata's teacher had another arm.

"Just like the Main branch, to get special attention," Neji muttered.

"It's not, I had already said the battle is over," Hayate repeated withdrawing his finger from Neji's forehead. For a moment he watched as the genin's eyes narrowed as Gai pulled him away but soon after he heard a gagging sound from behind him. Pivoting on his foot his eyes widened as he saw Hyuuga heiress on her knees coughing up blood.

"Hinata!"

The people from the balcony watched as Naruto jumped over the rail and ran to the Hyuuga, she looked and really bad shape. The fight had taken a lot out of her and that was evident. "Just hang in there," Naruto murmured as he watched the dark-haired eyes start to roll into the back of her head. He couldn't help but feel the anger welling up inside him.

"Hey loser."

Kado couldn't help but have his eyes narrow as he heard the way Neji addressed the blond genin. He had always had the feeling that the Hyuuga could be could but to be that disrespectful left a bad taste in his mouth. _"He has issues he needs to figure out,"_ he thought. Biting down on his tongue slightly he clenched his hand into a fist.

"Cut out the pathetic cheering, what kind of shinobi are you," Neji continued with his eyes narrowed, "Also it does not matter, in the end a loser is always a loser." The male looked to the side at his cousin. "Hinata is a prime example of that."

Naruto's harden eyes darkened drastically, "do you want to test me?" he questioned and as he saw the Hyuuga smirk all rationality flew out the window.

"Idiot!" Tanjiro growled out as he watched Naruto rush at Neji with a fist at the ready but at that moment he felt a gust of wind go past him on both sides. Looking to the ring his eyes widened as he Naruto stop because his path had been blocked.

"What?" Naruto began as he saw Lee in front of him with his arm out but there was also another, a silver-haired girl with emerald green eyes was on his other side with her arm crossing with Lee's making an 'x' shape.

"_Azami,"_ Lee thought as he noticed his friend but as she only gave him a simple nod he focused back on the task at hand. The male looked behind him, "Naruto, I know all too well how you feel but remember, this is the Chuunin exams, fighting should only take place in the matches," he said.

"Besides," Azami chimed in as she also looked at Naruto, "think how great it would be for a proclaimed 'loser' to beat someone that is known as one of the elite."

Agreeing, Rock Lee nodded his head, "that's something to look forward to in the last part of the Exams, to tell the truth I hope to find Neji myself," he murmured though gave Naruto a grin. "Yet there will be no hard feelings if you are his opponent.

At this, a huff came from the blonde and soon he dropped his fist. "Ah fine," he said a little dejectedly.

"Don't worry Naruto, you'll get you chance, just keep on doing what you're doing," Azami said as she closed her eyes. "You inspire people, you know."

"Heh, really?" Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. As the girl nodded a grin spread to his lips. "Well, thanks!"

Azami couldn't help but smile back at the blond, he was courageous in many ways, Yet the settling moment was interrupted as a voice yelled 'HINATA' and turning her head, the teen put a hand to her mouth as she saw the Hyuuga coughing up drastic amounts of blood. Her teacher was looking in their direction with narrowed eyes.

"If you have time to glare at me, then take care of her."

"Neji," Azami snapped suddenly making the male look at her, she shook her head at him. Was she upset at the male? No, but he needed to learn when to quick. As his gaze turned hard at her, the kunoichi simply lifted her head as if to say 'you don't intimidate me.' With what Hinat went through, Azami had no reason to cringe.

"She won't last ten minutes like this!"

"Take her to the emergency room, quick! Move!"

Rock Lee grimaced as he heard the words of the medics, Neji had seriously tried to hurt the girl. _"This is most unnecessary,"_ the male thought as he watched Hinata be loaded onto a stretcher before being carried away quickly. Lee didn't know the genin well but he hoped she would be okay. Looking to the others around him, he could only guess they wore the same expression but it was Naruto who surprisingly looked blank. As the male bent down, Lee watched as he touched the blood on the ground, Hinata's blood. Again the male rose and stood stock straight before hold his arm out, the blood slowly ran through the gaps in his fist. He was holding it in the direction of Neji.

"You…are going down."

Azami looked at Naruto with widened eyes at the proclamation, the boy really was gutsy. Without another word, the male turned and made his way to the stairs. Even though the kunoichi was sure she had a bit of height on Naruto she never saw someone walk so high after that kind of situation. _"I hope you can keep to that Naruto," _Azami thought before shaking her head, he would. Not backing down was his nindo after all. Following the blond's same path, the teen headed for the stairs but at a leisurely pace. She didn't know why but she felt compelled her to do so.

As a usual cough came to his throat, Hayate looked around, that had taken awhile. "And now," he said clearly. "We will begin the next match."

"Hmm, I do not care if I go last!" Rock Lee said as he turned his nose up in the air and crossed his arms though anyone would know that was a complete lie. The male was rearing to go, he had just thought that maybe if he acted like he didn't care, he would see his name on the screen. As the beep went off to say it was finish, the taijutsu immediately look back hoping to see his name. Lee's eyes drastically widened as he read the board, no, he wasn't going next but what was written made his heart skip a beat.

Pausing as she went to put her foot on the second step, Azami noticed the silence in the room and slowly turned her head. Looking to the board she stared at it though soon she could feel her heartbeat speed up. Again and again she read the board to make sure she wasn't imagining things but after the sixth time she was sure this way reality. It was then when the female turned fully to the ring and ever so slightly she tightened her right hand into a fist. Emerald eyes narrowed.

_Kuromaki Eimi vs. Yamahara Azami_

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_**HA! A cliff-hanger, I can actually do one (maybe...kind of, I hope...) So this is it my friends, the fight between kunoichi Kumogakure. In case anyone is wondering why I didn't have Azami or the others fight any of the canon characters is because that would extremely mess up the plot line and we don't want that right? So, I stick to having them kick their village's ass instead. Hmm, what else... comments and constructive criticism is always welcomed and enjoyed so drop a line_!_ So that's all for now my friends and stayed tuned in for the next chapter of Dance of An Eternal Lotus!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
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	25. His Realization

**Hey everyone! xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx here with the next chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus. I'm getting pretty good up updating, ne? Anyway this chapter is the beginning of Eimi and Azami's fight and things end up being revealed so be prepared! Now time for the lovely tradition of thank-yous!:**

**Reviewers: Mekon-chan, Fk306 animelover, electrogirl88, DarkPoet89, Erin, Peace-Dog **

**Alerters: GrimmyGrimm666,Sinewyk **

**Favoriters: DarkPoet89, Peace-Dog, GrimmyGrimm666**

**Dang, that's a lot! Thank-you everybody! Now, I am proud to present the twenty-fifth chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus! **

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**_Chapter 25_**

Gray eyes looked at the monitor with a serious look, it seemed like it wanted all the Kumogakure shinobi to eliminate the other but he knew it was just the luck of the draw. Besides, Konoha had several of their shinobi go against someone from their own village. Letting out a sigh, Akio looked to the ring and to Azami, the female hadn't moved from her spot on the steps but she had turned her head slightly away from his direction. She was looking up at the other balcony.

"A match made in Heaven, huh Akio-sensei."

"I guess so," the jounin murmured as he looked to Kado, ha had his eyes trained on his teammate as well. The male had always been good at masking his feelings behind those blue eyes but now to Akio, the genin seemed like an open book. Just the intensity of his stare told the older male what thoughts were wandering through his mind.

_How would Azami do?_

As a loud cough erupted through the arena, Akio was brought out of his thoughts and looked to Hayate. The proctor looked to Azami for a moment and then to Eimi. "Both fighters could come to the center," he said. The male raised an eyebrow, "unless one of you wishes to forfeit right now."

Green eyes glanced up for a moment and as Eimi smirked at Azami, the teen looked forward. She knew what the other was saying, _"in your dreams,"_ she thought as she stepped off the stairs and made her way to the middle of the ring. Her heart was pounding heavily against her chest and her nails were digging into her palms but the kunoichi's mind had felt as calm as ever. Yet as she walked, Azami couldn't help but think about the last battle between the Hyuugas.

"_That is fine because I will no longer run!"_

"_I-I can't go back on my word…That is also…my nindo."_

Hinata's words just kept repeating again and again her head, there was something about them that just stuck to Azami and she was sure they wouldn't leave anytime soon. _"Her strength, even though she was facing a hard opponent she still managed to find it,"_ the genin thought before lifting a hand and running it through her hair, this was so frustrating. Yet Azami knew she'd have to think about it later as the sound of ninja sandals hitting the ground made her turn her head to her opponent. Eimi was standing a few yards away from her with a serious look on her face.

"I told you Yamahara, if we faced each other I would pound you into the ground," Eimi said, her tone cold. Soon the female's eyes narrowed, "I won't go back on that, I promise you."

Azami stared at her opponent almost seeming to allow her words to sink into her mind. Yet soon the female moved her body and set herself up in her normal fighting position. "Actions speak louder than words Eimi," she said, her voice taking on the stiff even tone that the other kunoichi had. "We'll see what will happen."

"_Aza-chan,"_ Lee thought as he watched from the balcony, the tension in the air starting to rise. The animousity seemed to come off Eimi in waves, all being directed to Azami though what was the reason? The silver-haired girl didn't seem like someone to do wrong to another, even if they had put her own well-being in danger. Though these ponderings weighed on the taijutsu user's mind he was quickly brought out of them as a voice echoed through the arena.

"This match will be between Yamahara Azami and Kuromaki Eimi. Be-"

Hayate didn't get to finish his last words as Eimi rushed forward and Azami did the same. Meeting in the middle both girls collided with a barrage of punches being thrown and kicks. For a little bit it seemed like the two were just testing each other out but as Eimi struck Azami in the cheek things changed. As Eimi went to strike at her again, Azami grabbed her by the wrist and with a yell she swung the girl over her and slammed her into the ground though just then the kunoichi had to brace herself as Eimi swung a leg under her. Tripping forward, Azami caught herself with her hands so her face wouldn't go slamming into the ground before she had to jump away to avoid getting three kunai in the back.

"Eimi is aiming for blood," Tanjiro muttered as he watched Azami pull out several shuriken and fling them at Eimi. The other managed to deflect most with a kunai she pulled out but one managed to graze her cheek. A trickle of blood slowly ran down her skin.

"Azami seems to be taking the same route," Akio said after. "An eye for an eye after all."

A battle cry came from Eimi as she rushed forward pushing a good amount of chakra into the sole of her feet. Jumping into the air she aimed to do a drop kick but Azami crossed her arms above her just in time. Though it didn't stop Eimi from using her arms like bars and swinging behind Azami she kicked the girl hard in the side sending her flying across the arena. "Hn, is that all you can do?" she said mockingly as she cracked her fingers. "I'm not even breaking a sweat Azami."

Coughing harshly, the silver-haired female shook her head out as she slowly rose to her feet. An immense burning sensation now occupied her side. "You shouldn't talk like that unless you're sure I'm going to stay down, Eimi," Azami said, her emerald eyes trained on her opponent. "Though that would be hard, wouldn't it? You were always the one to open your mouth first."

"You little-" Eimi growled out before rushing forward, throwing a punch she went to hit the female straight in the face but was blocked by Azami's hand curling around her own. Again she tried to use her other fist but that one was caught as well. "Don't talk like you're higher than me Azami!" Eimi snapped as the two stood holding the other back. "I don't care that the Raikage said your bloodline is one for the village, it doesn't make you special, you're nothing I tell you, nothing!"

"So that's what she's after," Kado muttered, a sigh came from his lips. "I knew Eimi wasn't just fighting like this for no reason."

Rock Lee held a confused look in his eyes as he heard the dark-haired male and turning his head he gazed at him. What was she after? What did the Raikage mean? As more questions started to swim through the male's mind, an idea to the answer seemed to come. It was after Lee had brought her home during that bad rain storm, he had never gotten an answer then.

_Rock Lee nodded in understanding after hearing Azami's explanation. Leaning his elbows on his knees he kept his eyes on her. "May I ask what the announcement was?" he questioned._

_A silence filled the room for a long time as Azami stared at the ground, the girl did not speak. After three long minutes, the kunoichi closed her eyes. "Not now," Azami politely said but a slight edge could be heard. "I'm sorry…I just-"_

Lee shook his head, "Kado," he said getting the other male's attention. "What Eimi said about the Raikage, is she talking about the announcement?"

Dark blue eyes widened for a moment though soon returned to there normal calm look, if someone had to catch on Kado wasn't surprised it was Lee. Though the male seemed to be a little hyperactive, he was observant. "A part of it, yeah," he murmured.

"Stupid girl…"

Two pairs of eyes looked to the side and focused on Tanjiro, the male had a hard look in his eyes and was gripping the rail until his knuckles turned white. His body shook slightly with anger. "Tanjiro?" Lee called out uncertainly.

"She doesn't understand, no one does," he continued not bothering to look at the others. "What the Raikage and the council have planned for some, it doesn't make anyone special." Brown eyes narrowed, "it's a shackle that refuses to come off." Taking in a steady breath Tanjiro backed up, his grip on the rail loosened. "Even if it's supposed to be for the _good_ of the village."

Dark eyes widened as Lee took a step towards Tanjiro. Azami had said that what the announcement entailed had changed the male's behavior. It had affected them both and it was easy to see that they were unhappy about it. Though there still many confusing things, slowly but surely the pieces were falling together.

"Earth style: Quaking Imprisonment!"

At that moment the whole building shook as cloak over cloak of rock surrounded Eimi and covered her until it formed into an orb meant to contain the girl. Azami took a gulp of breath as she slowly straightened up. Her body was covered with bruises and small cuts. Eimi was strong and she knew that, it had been that way since the Academy. It was the pure fury the female had that could throw and opponent off. _"Though I can't let that get to me,"_ Azami thought as she held her hands up prepared to make another set of handseals but stopped as a chakra signal started to rise. Slowly her eyes widened, it was coming from under the rock.

In that moment a loud yell was heard as a beam of fire went shooting through the rock making it crack and soon the whole structure blew apart. Azami was flung back with such a force she managed to hit the back of arena was a blunt force. Groaning the female looked forward to see a cyclone of fire spinning in the middle of the arena and her eyes narrowed as she saw a shadowy figure step from the flames. It was Eimi and the flames seemed to follow her before slowly diminishing until they hugged close to her body. Azami had never seen anything like it, "how?" she murmured out.

"Family's technique: Raging Flames," Eimi replied coolly with a smirk. "We use our chakra to produce elemental ninjutsu but it's my family's specialty to be able to keep that chakra in the air around us and be able to form our chosen element like that." A laugh came from the female, "you didn't think your little rock shield would hold me in did you?" she questioned with the tilt of the head. "I told you Azami, the Raikage made a mistake by saying your family would help carry on the village's future." Blue eyes narrowed, "and now I will prove that."

Holding a hand up the flames around Eimi seemed to come alive once more as bullets of ember flew at Azami at a rapid pace. Clenching her teeth the female ran forward weaving in and out of the bullets though she couldn't help but get burned here and there. Letting out a battle cry the female through a fist at to only have her wrist be caught though soon a yelp escaped Azami's lips and she quickly pulled away leaving herself wide up. Before she knew it she was kicked hard in the gut and flung back. Hissing, Azami turned her attention to her wrist, it had been burned.

"Azami!" Lee yelled as he leaned his stomach again the rail as the female slowly rose to her feet though as she did he could see red slowly dripping onto the ground. Blood was slowly making its way down the side of Azami's face making the girl closed her left eye slightly. The taijutsu user didn't doubt the kunoichi's skills but he was worried for her. The feeling that was starting to develop in his chest tightened as he watched more flames fly in Azami's direction making the female move her tired body. Again and again, she ran at Eimi but with those flames surrounding her, it didn't help.

"She seems in a bit of a bind, don't you think?" Tenten said as she looked to Lee, she didn't have a doubt in her mind that the same expression that was on the male's face was also on hers. "Why doesn't she use any water techniques?"

"Nothing in her arsenal would be strong enough to douse Eimi's flames," Kado said immediately. "The more chakra she pushes out, the strong the flames become." The male's hand tightened, "she could try and hold out until Eimi's chakra dwindles but with those burns, I don't think it will be easy. Her body has enough strain as it is."

A cruel laughter rang through the air as Eimi watched one of her flames catch onto the ends of Azami's long shirt causing her to twist and rip the piece off, she knew she wouldn't last long. The girl had speed but her stamina was something that needed to be worked on. "Give it up _Aza-chan_, I don't think your family would like you to come back with so many burn marks," she yelled.

"Oh shut it!" Azami snapped back as she pivoted to avoid getting burned along her side before lunging forward. Whipping out a kunai she surrounded it with her chakra before flinging it forward. She saw as Eimi used a flame to reflect it but as a yelp came from the female she smirked, there was a kunai hidden in the shadow of the first. Quickly the female lifted her hands and started to make handseals. She wanted Eimi to fall. Dashing forward ignoring the heat around her body, Azami ran her hand against the ground and using her chakra magnetized the disrupted earth until it surrounded her fist.

Blue eyes widened but as they did rage filled them, letting out a battle cry Eimi ran forward as well her flames starting to dance around her hand. _"I'll show them, I'll show them all,"_ she thought as she screamed. "I will show them that my blood is made to carry on the future of our village!"

Dark eyes widened, _"future of the village,"_ Lee thought, at that moment everything seemed to click into place. The hidden villages depended on their shinobi to protect and bring in the economy but they also depended on them for other things though it was never directly said. "Kado, the Raikage's announcement, it has to do with the next generation of shinobi," Rock Lee said. "What bloodlines would be passed on."

Kado whipped his head in the taijutsu user's direction, it wasn't a question, it was a statement. He had finally figured it out, _"well I guess there would be no point of hiding it," _he thought. _"It's not like we can anymore."_ Taking a deep breath the male looked to the ring as Azami and Eimi connected punches to only jump back and try again. "In our village, no, in any village, their pride is in their shinobi and in the future generations," he began. "This is especially so in Kumogakure, we want to have the best shinobi there are, we thrive on that ideal." Dark blue eyes closed, "so to do this, the council decided to evaluate the families of our village separately to see which held promising aspects. After that…an announcement of those families were made."

"Yet wouldn't that be a good thing, the family would be recognized as one of the best?" Lee asked though as he saw the look in Kado's eyes he frowned. "They went further than that, didn't they?"

"Further is an understatement," a voice said and both males turned their heads, it was Tanjiro who had spoken. "At first those families thought that because they were chosen they would receive benefits from the village and to some extent that was true, but it was exchanged for something else." Brown eyes narrowed, "those families that were chosen were paired up with others based on their skills and what would fit well together, then a member of the family was chosen."

"And Tanjiro and Azami were some of the chosen," Kado add in.

Tanjiro looked away, "yes," he murmured. "The Raikage said 'it was our responsibility to continue a proud line of Kumogakure shinobi'…"

"To continue the proud line of Kumogakure shinobi," Lee repeated, his eyes narrowing as he thought of the words. Though moments later they started to grow wider and wider. He understood, he finally understood! The regret in Azami's face or the anger he saw in Tanjiro's if it was ever mentioned. "The ones who were chosen, they're suppose to marry someone from the family that they were paired up with…" Rock Lee murmured before looking to Tanjiro. "You won't get a choice, it's all arranged."

Knuckles soon became white, "yes," Tanjiro concluded.

At that moment the picture of a gentle smile and emerald eyes flashed through Rock Lee's mind. "So Azami…"

"Yes, her fate is the same as well."

_**BOOM**_

Dark eyes were quickly covered with an arm as an explosion occurred in the middle of the ring and debris went flying everywhere. Azami and Eimi collided punches again but this one was the strongest the two had ever done. Coughing slightly, Rock Lee tried to stare through the dust looking around wildly for some sign of movement. When he finally saw it his eyes narrowed trying to see who it was. His heart couldn't help but drop as he saw the person stand, dark hair clung to a sweating face. Again the male looked around to the other side of the arena and with the dust settling, things became clearer. Lee felt like his throat was being constricted as he saw a limp body laying on the ground. Clothes were tattered from the flames and blood slowly ran from wounds. The female's silver hair laid disheveled as she breathed heavily in pain. Rock Lee could only manage to yell one thing.

"AZAMI!"

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**Le gasp! What will Lee do with this new discovery? Has Azami lost or is there still a chance? Well, you'll have to read the next chapter to find out! Again comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated and welcomed so I'll be waiting to here from you. Till next time readers, this is xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx out!**

**xXAkatsuki Black Rose Xx**


	26. Her Resolve

**Hey everyone! It's xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx with the awaited 26th chapter of Dance Of An Eternal Lotus! I apologize for those villages that were most likely destroyed during this wait (destroyers...you know who you are) and hopefully this chapter will make it up! First off I'd like to give recognition to those who reviewed, alerted or decided to favorite:**

**Reviewers: Fk306 animelover, Peace-Dog, GrimmyGrimm666, Jackle Cards, Cool (), Neko of Light**

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**Thank-you all so much it means a lot to me! Now I'm happy to present the 26th chapter of Dance Of AN Eternal Lotus!**

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**_Chapter 26_**

"_It hurts…it really hurts…"_

The scent of smoke and burning rock was all that filled Azami's nose as she laid still on the ground. The female felt like she couldn't breathe and when she did her whole body seemed to feel the pain. _"I...I can't move,"_ the teen thought, her body just felt like a ton of bricks. Biting on her lower lip Azami could feel herself start to waver as her eyes became watery. Why…why couldn't she be strong enough? She had tried so hard, she didn't want to be in the back of the pack anymore. _"It's not fair."_

Dark eyes stared down at Azami and Lee couldn't help but shake his head, no, this couldn't have been it. The kunoichi fought so hard, this couldn't be where the road ended for her, it wasn't right. Moving forward the male put a hand on the rail but stopped himself, all he could do was tighten his grip around the metal. _"We made a promise we'd make it to the end, we promised each other,"_ he thought as he hung his head. It wasn't supposed to end up this way.

"Is she still conscious?"

Glancing to the side, Lee looked to Kado who was leaning against the rail along with Akio. The older shinobi's grey eyes were looking intently at the kunoichi on the ground and as he saw the faint twitch of her fingers he nodded. "I think so, but she needs to get up," he murmured. "If she doesn't, this match will go to Eimi."

Kado clicked his tongue against his teeth in annoyance, "come on Azami, you've come too far to go down like this," he muttered.

At that moment a small laugh filled the air and Rock Lee couldn't help but turn his head as he saw Eimi straighten up, a smirk on her lips. The male felt a small rage build in him, "Azami get up!" he yelled which made eyes on the balcony turn to him. "You have to Azami, get up now!"

"Lee," Tenten spoke softly as she continued to listen to her teammate's cries. It was odd to hear the desperation in his voice along with the wavering rage. Moving close to him, the kunoichi placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have to calm down Lee," she tried to coax him.

"It's no use," Eimi called up with a sigh, the female put a hand on her hip. "My flames have the tendencies to cause major burns; even if she wanted to get up I highly doubt she could."

"Azami!" Rock Lee yelled again completely dismissing the girl's comment, he wouldn't listen to her. No, he wouldn't believe in her. The male had seen for his own eyes how the Kumogakure kunoichi had grown and he knew she had fight in her. "Aza-chan," he murmured out and soon his pupils dilated for a moment as he watched silver hair shift as the teen weakly picked her head up from the ground. Onyx eyes stared into emerald ones from under silver tresses and Lee felt as if his heart was being squeezed as he saw the tired, sad smile grace Azami's lips.

"_Lee…I'm sorry."_

The taijutsu user watched as Azami laid her head back on the ground and her gasps of breath could be heard. She was giving up, she was actually giving up. Tightening his grip on the guard rail, Rock Lee allowed his head to hang. Soon he closed his eyes tightly, "Azami."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_It was odd how everything seemed to change. There was no longer the hard concrete floor under her but instead she was resting in something soft and grainy. The heat of the burning flames had been replaced with a gentle breeze and in what seemed like the distance she could hear rolling water. A small sigh escaped capped lips as Azami opened her eyes. Blinking a few times the female slowly raised her body; it didn't seem as heavy as before. Shaking her head the kunoichi ran her fingers through her hair pushing it back. Looking at her surroundings, Azami couldn't help but feel a little confused; she was on the shore of an ocean. _

"_So…you're giving up?"_

_Looking to her right, Azami saw her other side. A small frown was on the female's face and her arms hung lazily at her side. Feeling the sand go between her toes as she moved forward, the other stopped in front of the kunoichi on the ground. "Every time something goes wrong," she paused, her voice calm though in a sense cold, "are you just going to take defeat as the only option?" A small huff came from her lips, "I'm disappointed."_

"_What do you know?" Azami yelled as she stood up and stood face to face with her other side. "You're not the one that's out there fighting this battle." Emerald eyes narrowed, "you're not the one that alone in that ring!" At that moment, the teen felt a sharp sting against her face which sent her head to the right. Raising a hand to her cheek she rubbed the sore spot before looking back. _

"_You really are stupid," her other half spat as she shook out her hand, she didn't want to have to hit the girl but in all honesty she was asking for it. "Yes, I will agree with you that you are alone in that ring but what about the others?" she questioned. Seeing the confusion in Azami's eyes she sighed, "Kado, Akio, hell, even Tanjiro, they're all rooting for you to win this." Turning her head the female looked out to the sea as blue waters soon turned into white foam as they hit the shore. "Don't you think that counts for something? You may be the one fighting in the ring but they're fighting as well from the sidelines. If they have the strength to believe in you, shouldn't you have the same?"_

_Azami allowed those words to float through her mind and soon looked to the ground. They wanted her to win? Closing her eyes the female let out a small sigh and shook her head. Everything was just so confusing. _

"What matters the most: what others think or what I think? If you put things into priority I think it becomes clearer."

"_What I think," Azami murmured as she reopened her eyes and looked to her other half, she had a knowing smile on her face. "So that's what Kado meant… in the end it's only you that can make that decision to move forward."_

"_Though to have people that believe in you is also something special," Azami's other half said. "You saw the battle with Hinata, she had the strength to say she wanted to change and Naruto's words caused a positive effect on how she felt." The female shrugged, "it's always good to have the extra boosts when you need it, but first it has to come from inside you." Raising a hand towards Azami, her other half smiled. "So tell me, will this be the end?"_

_Emerald eyes stared at the hand in front of her and slowly Azami curled one of her hands into a fist. She could feel her heartbeat speeding up. Things made sense to her, after all this time she was finally getting it. Though could she use that knowledge, did she have the strength to use it? _

"I-I just wanted to change myself, do it myself."

_"Even if you're scared and uncertain, you continue to fight."_

"I believe the key to becoming stronger is hard work-and so for that reason I shall train day and night."

_"You push yourself past those mental limits and the ones others put in front of you."  
_

"Whatever happens, happens but I swear- I won't go down without a fight. We made a promise remember?"

"_What keeps you going?"_

I'll start making my own confidence.

"_What makes you fight harder than ever?"_

"I know it feels like that but you have to remember, the answer is always lying inside you. Maybe it's even right in front of you, I know shinobi are suppose to think with their head but Azami, I think you should think with your heart this time, you were always the best at that."

"_**AZAMI!"**_

"_Lee," the teen murmured as she heard the male's voice, he was still trying to get her to move. At this Azami couldn't help but smile brightly as she looked out to the ocean, as the wind pushed her hair back she took in a deep breath feeling rejuvenated. Looking to her other half she nodded and slipped her hand into hers. "Not by a long shot," she said confidently. "If people can believe in me, than I should have no problem believing in myself, it all starts with me."_

"_Just the way it should be," Azami's other half said and soon her hand started to take on a pure white glow that spread throughout her body and to Azami's hand. She smirked as she saw emerald eyes widened as her form started to fade and take on a different shape. Smooth white tail feathers spread across the sandy beach and large wings opened up. Silvery eyes looked into emerald green ones, "now, it is time."_

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Call this match already!" Eimi said with annoyance. She knew she was the victor of this match. Azami hadn't moved for a good time and with the green jumpsuit boy continuously yelling her name she was done with this match. _"He's just wasting his breath," _she thought before turning her head. "Well?" she snapped at Hayate hotly. "Call this match over so we can move onto the next!"

Hayate let out a small sigh followed by a short cough, this girl had an attitude. Looking to Azami who was still he nodded. "Since Yamahara-san is no longer able to fight, this match is at its end…"

"No," Rock Lee growled as he banged his hand on the rail. This wasn't the way it was suppose to end. _"Azami please, you have to get up," _he thought. Gritting his teeth the taijutsu user felt as if his chest was being squeezed.

Looking to the other occupants in the room Hayate closed his eyes, he could see some of the disappointment on their faces but it wasn't like he could just wait till Azami moved. It had been long enough as it was. "The winner of this match is-"

"DON'T!"

Dark blue eyes widened as Kado heard a familiar voice cut off Hayate and quickly looked down. As he did a smile spread to his lips as he saw Azami pull one of her hands in and set it under her. He watched as the female slowly pushed her body up and came into a kneeling position. She was breathing heavily but she continued to rise as she set her right leg under herself and pushed up. For a moment the female looked like she was going to stumble but quickly caught herself. "Azami," Kado murmured.

"I'm not done, I'm not done by a long shot," Azami managed through her gasping breathes. Rolling her shoulders the female looked into Hayate's direction, "nor do a forfeit, I'm going to finish this match." The kunoichi's eyes narrowed, "I'm not backing down!"

"How dare you!" Eimi screeched as she tightened her right hand into a fist, her chakra flames started to form around it. "You don't know when to quit!" Pushing her fist forward, the kunoichi sent a fireball at Azami and smirked knowing it had power behind it but as her opponent quickly swung a leg up and a large gust of wind blew through the arena her expression faltered. Her fireball had exploded but was quickly dispersed by the wind but soon Eimi realized that that wasn't just it. _"It's…it's her chakra."_

Giving a small huff Azami was glad she showed Eimi that her words would no longer bother her. She was going to fight like a true kunoichi would; all that mattered was how she felt about herself first. _"Though," _the female thought as she turned her head to the balcony. Her eyes landed on her teammates and she gave a bright smile which was equally returned for the most part. It was then that she turned her gaze to one more person; her emerald eyes became half-lidded.

"Rock Lee."

For a moment the male felt as if he had a lump in his throat as he heard his name travel through the air gently. His dark eyes stared into Azami's and silently the two seemed to make a connection. As the female started to move, Lee tilted his head curiously. Watching Azami bring her hands close to her and place one over the other on her chest before moving her right one out and leaving her left one where it was the male shook his head. He didn't understand.

"Do you remember…"

Rock Lee looked to his side as Kado watched Azami. Whatever she was doing it seemed he understood the body language and was able to put words to it. "Do you remember, what you asked me, what seemed like so long ago?" the male continued to speak.

"What I asked," the taijutsu user murmured as he watched Azami twirl. In his memories he could see the two walking through Konoha chatting lightly. Lee had a smile on his face and so did the kunoichi. _"That's right,"_ he thought as his words came back to him.

"_Yet Azami-chan, one day, would you dance for me?"_

Closing her eyes, Azami smiled as she gave another small twirl and allowed her right foot to come in front of her left. So he did remember. Reopening her eyes she tilted her chin down and her head to the side before bringing her arm back. Crossing both hands at the wrist she allowed her lower arms to press close to her torso. _"I will keep my promise,"_ Aza thought as she uncrossed her wrist. _"For this dance-"_

"Is for you."

"Aza-chan," Lee murmured as he heard Kado speak what the girl meant. As Azami bowed towards the male he smiled back letting his hands drop to his side he bowed forward as well. Straightening up his dark eyes met forest green ones and left an arm he gave a thumbs up with his signature bright smile. "Show your youthfulness Azami," he coaxed.

Hearing those words, the kunoichi felt something leap for joy inside her and she nodded, "thank-you," she murmured back before she turned her head to Eimi. The girl was glaring at her but she remained calm but there was a new air around her. No more did Azami feel uncertain or hesitant but instead felt confident and if she dared say, a little bold. "Come at me with everything you have Eimi-san," Azami paused, "I'll fight you all the way."

Seeing both girls get into a fighting position, Hayate could help but give a weak smile. It seemed this fight would have more to it and he had to say, a part of him was interested to see what else these genins had to offer. Taking a breath the male looked at both females before nodding, "this match will continue," he said strongly. "Resume!"

Rushing forward with a new outlook, Azami felt as if she was flying on wings. _"I can do this, I know I can,"_ she thought as Eimi ran at her as well. _"Kado, Akio, Tanjiro, Lee, if you think I can I won't let you regret your thoughts, I won't let me regret my thoughts." _Letting out a cry, Azami's fist collided with Eimi's with such an intensity the teen could feel it move throughout her body. Around the cornea of the female's eyes the emerald green color, silver started to take over the rim. _"I'll show everyone how much I've grown and what I can still do…" _

"_And no one's going to stop me."_

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**It's coming down to the wire folks! With Azami's new courage will she be able to stick it to Eimi or will she fall short. All will be revealed in chapter twenty-seven which I hope to have out soon! As per usual, comments and constructive criticism is greatly welcomed an appreciated. For those who've stuck with me thus far and those who are joining in thank-you very much, you've be a reason I've kept going. So for now everyone till next time!**

**xXAkatsuki Black RoseXx  
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